An Unexpected Spark
by Ethelwyn
Summary: At tech school, Shoichi and Spanner share an apartment. Although Shoichi's feelings for the other run deep, he is happy to be Spanner's best friend and help him build a new version of Mini Mosca for an upcoming competition. Their happiness is shaken, though, when Spanner gets himself a girlfriend, and Byakuran shows up to set his sights on an unsuspecting Shoichi.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **So here it is. My second cooperation with AdaraLove. This story is in a style different from my usual work, because we are writing this like a role playing game with AdaraLove writing for Spanner and me for Shoichi. For those of you out there, it might take you some time to get used to the structure. We've learned from our first story that it's easier to follow the changes in point of view if the sections are clearly separated by bars, and that's why there are so many of them ;D

Like I said, this is the second work AdaraLove and I have done for the KHR-universe. Our first is an 8059 that's uploaded under her account by the name of 'Diffusing the Bomb'. If you like the pairing, please check it out! She also has three more 8059 stories, one of which is ongoing, so you really should have a look at it if you like the two. They are just amazing, but enough self-advertising ;D

Now, this here is a whole novel we have in store for you. Our main heroes are Irie Shoichi and Spanner. Those two definitely don't get enough love from the fan base, so we'd thought we help them out a bit ;D For those who rather like to see Shoichi with Byakuran, you will get to read a bit of that, too ;D Also this story is rated M for a reason, although that reason won't show up in quite a while, so please hang in there!

We want to update one chapter every Friday if there are people who want to read this. To let us know that you are out there, we need at least one review! ^_^

And now, please enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** We don't own KHR or any of the characters. They belong to Amano Akira. We just borrowed them for a little while.

**Warnings:** This is a Yaoi fan-fiction, meaning Man on Man action! Don't like it? Please don't read! The mature content will follow in later chapters, but there is something going on in this chapter that I guess would have to be rated T already ;D

* * *

It was the start of another beautiful year at Japan's most prestigious robotics/technology university, and cars were hustling and bustling through the streets of the city and campus, moving in their up and coming engineers and programmers in the early hours of the morning. It was true that classes wouldn't officially start until Monday, but the weekend was the perfect time for moving in students.

Despite the constant traffic in and out of the campus, though, it was a relatively peaceful morning…up until a rustic-looking car pulling a small trailer behind it screeched around the corner of a nearby street, and crossed two lanes of upcoming traffic to get a perfect spot to unhull its load in the nearest parking lot. The screeching of multiple tires, and curses of many tongues, filled the morning air as the rusting, yet functional, car backed up its trailer and parked in front of the entryway to an apartment-dorm complex connected to the parking lot. If the driver heard any of these noises, he showed no sign of it as he turned off his car and laughed.

"Hehehe, good thing I installed that vocal radar and motion sensing system in this old banger, or else we would have been in a bit of a pickle, Ulysses!" An old man of 68 years laughed with a crooked, yet excited smile as he adjusted his small, black, spherical sunglasses.

Ulysses, a.k.a. Spanner, a young man of 19 just stared at his grandfather in affixed horror from the passenger seat; his left hand clenching his seat cushion while his right hand had an iron grip on the handlebar above the front passenger window. In all truth, Spanner knew that letting his grandfather drive at his age, since he was half-blind, hard of hearing, and his memory was becoming fuzzy about certain details (like the rules of the road!), was a bad idea, but the man was as stubborn as a mule most of the time. There had been no other way around the situation, though, since his grandfather was his only living guardian and relative. Both Spanner and his grandfather were born and raised in Britain, but the old man had moved to Italy in his late 40's, because of a prospective job offer. Spanner had lived in Britain until the age of five, when his parents were killed in a car accident. Having no other relatives willing to take him in, his grandfather took him under his wing. The old man loved his grandson dearly, and was rather lonely, since his wife had passed away from cancer before Spanner was born. So, for most of his childhood then, Spanner had grown up in Italy; he and his grandfather sticking to their British customs, despite their foreign surroundings.

The blonde-haired teen and his Grandfather seemed to share the same genetic code as well, because they were practically twins with one looking way older than the other. Spanner's grandfather shared his same build, and his same facial features, but his hair was snow white with a balding patch on the top, and his hair whorl was combed the opposite way of Spanner's. Their personalities were quite different, though, with Spanner's grandfather being more lively and full of spunk.

Besides their looks, the two also shared the same love for mechanics, tools, inventions, and, strangely enough, Japanese culture. His grandfather had visited Japan in his youth and had been interested in the culture and customs ever since. The old man shared his love for the country with his grandson, and would often read books to him on the subject matter after evening tea. The two of them longed to move there, so when a technician job was offered over in the country, there were no second thoughts on the both of them moving. Spanner had been 14 then when he had moved to a town that neighbored Namimori, and that's how he had met up with the Tenth Vongola, and his best friend, Irie Shoichi. There was quite a past between them concerning Shoichi, and his future boss of the Vongola, because they held memories concerning a future that no longer existed, and also new memories on top of that.

"I told you Gramps, I legally changed my name to Spanner two years ago," Spanner spoke with a deadpanned tone after he was able to calm down and find his voice from his near death experience. He had never liked the name Ulysses, and thought Spanner fit him so much better, considering his heritage and his love for tinkering. Not to mention, Ulysses was practically impossible for any Japanese resident to pronounce.

Spanner sent a serious look his grandfather's way then, trying to drive home the fact that his name was different now. In reality, he had been telling his grandfather this bit of information for the past two years, because it seemed he couldn't remember it no matter how often the young mechanic told him.

"Spanner, huh?" The old man muttered, seeming to consider the name seriously for a second behind his bespectacled gaze as he tilted his head to the side. "It suits you."

There was a short pause as Spanner sighed at the familiar conversation, and as his grandfather unbuckled his seat belt.

"Well, come on, Ulysses, those boxes won't haul themselves, you know?!" And with that, the old man climbed out of the car and shut the door behind him, heading towards the trailer.

Spanner sighed to himself again as he unbuckled his own seat belt and got out of the car. He loved his grandpa, he truly did, but that didn't stop the man from being mentally trying at times.

"Remember to only haul the boxes on the left side of the trailer, Gramps. I packed them lighter for you," Spanner spoke up lighter in tone as he made his way to the door of the trailer.

"I know, I know!" The old man called back in slight irritation as he made a grunt of effort. "Bloody hell, what did you put in this box, Ulysses? It's on the left side, but it's heavier than an overweight elephant. Are you trying to break your poor grandpa's back?!"

Spanner just sighed at that as he entered the trailer, "You're other left, Gramps."

The older version of Spanner just blinked up at his grandson from his hunched over position on the right side of the trailer before he stood up and laughed. "Whoops, I guess I botched up my sense of direction again, hehehe!"

Spanner just sighed again as he watched his grandfather easily pick up a box on the left side of the trailer and carry it towards the apartment complex. Taking a cherry sucker of his own making from the pocket of his worn jeans, Spanner unwrapped the delicious treat and stuck it in his mouth.

This was going to be a long morning.

* * *

"Finally I get to see him!" The young woman was grinning and winking.

"Aaaah, so that's why you offered to help me, Nee-san!" Anxiety made Irie Shoichi's stomach pinch and sting. "I should have known you had ulterior motives!"

Twenty year old Shoichi just couldn't wait to get away from his meddling, nosy, elder sister. He had no idea how she had done it. Yes, he had told his mother a bit about his school year, and yes, he had mentioned Spanner, but he had only praised his roommate for winning the annual robotics competition as the only first year student to ever do so. That was normal, wasn't it? But somehow, his damned nosy, intuitive sister had guessed his true feelings for his roommate from those words alone (and maybe one or two more he had mentioned about the blonde mechanic). His roommate was a mechanics genius, after all. How could he not mention that? On top of that, Spanner was an ace programmer, too; although not quite as good as himself. Also, the other was an inventor at heart; a character trait they both shared. The fact that Spanner was good looking, too, and that Shoichi was just fascinated by his blonde hair and blue eyes, didn't really help matters either.

It was the memories they shared, memories of a future they helped to prevent, that had made his stomach flutter the first time they had met in this time line. He could remember the immense relief he had felt when their mobile base had been hit by Kikyou, and when he checked on Spanner to see that he was still alive. He could still feel that deep urge to protect the other one.

His sister guessing at his feelings, and teasing him about it, was the worst, though. He should have known that was the reason why she had offered to help him move. This had the potential for total disaster. He had never mentioned anything to Spanner about his feelings. In fact, he was pretty sure the mechanic wouldn't much appreciate it. And if he didn't, how awkward would it get to still live in the same apartment?

A whimper left Shoichi's lips as his stomach cramped painfully at this line of thought. He didn't want things to get awkward between them. He wanted to be around Spanner, and most of all, he wanted to work with the other.

For this year's robotics competition, they had decided to pool their expertise and work together. Even though they had started late in the spring this year, their progress had been impressive. The memories of the future made it even easier for them to tune into the other's way of thinking and working, and their teamwork was almost natural; like four hands using one mind.

"I just want to make sure he's a nice guy, that's all, Sho-chan. I'm your older sister; I have a responsibility."

One look at her face told Shoichi that it definitely wasn't responsibility that drove her, but leering curiosity.

"He doesn't know! And I want to keep it that way!" The young computer genius shouted almost desperately. "Don't say anything awkward! Don't...Don't say anything at all! In fact, don't even look at him! Just...Just stop the car here. I'll get my things out and carry them over myself!"

"You're crazy, Sho-chan. We're at the other end of the campus. Don't worry. I won't tell him," she turned her gaze from the road to glance at him sideways with another wink. "You should!"

Shoichi sighed heavily, "I will. I just need...the right moment." Of course, he said it to shut his sister up. If she thought he'd do it, maybe she wouldn't act too weird around Spanner? He had these feelings, but they were one sided, and he knew it. Even in that future, it was the same, and they had known each other so much longer then. No. If Spanner had just a micron of interest in him, he would have acted by now.

So, Shoichi held his feelings under wraps, and just enjoyed the other one's company. At least he could fully enjoy that other side of their friendship. Their teamwork, and what they could achieve together, was fulfilling, too. It nurtured the mind. Who cared about the body, right?

"Don't wait too long. There are others out there that don't wait. He could be gone off the market faster than you think."

Any need to find an answer to that was luckily eliminated by turning the last corner and arriving at the apartment building. There was that old, rusty car that could only belong to one man. A bright smile lit up Shoichi's face. He pushed his glasses up his nose and tried to smooth out his unruly, red hair.

Next to him, his sister giggled. "You're blushing! How cu~ute!"

"I-I'm not," was Shoichi's totally flustered answer as his hands rubbed over his cheeks, like he was trying to clean off the flush he had just denied he was having.

They were lucky enough to get a parking spot just one over from Spanner's. Shoichi struggled out of the car as fast as he could. When he came up to the car and trailer, no one was there. Since the trailer doors were open though, it was safe to assume they were already unloading.

Shoichi turned to his sister. "Okay, I'll introduce you, but for heaven's sake, don't embarrass me and don't make any...insinuations. Promise!"

"Yeah, yeah, I'll be the perfect, slightly elder sister," she waved her hand dismissively.

Just then, Spanner and his grandfather exited the building.

A very warm feeling flooded Shoichi's stomach the moment he saw the other. He couldn't help but smile. "Hey, Spanner! Long time no see," he greeted the mechanic, trying to at least project some form of coolness. As his gaze took in the older man, another form of warmth flooded him. "_Good morning, sir. I hope you are feeling well_," Shoichi managed to say in English, with only a slight accent, as he bowed in greeting to the elder.

* * *

When Spanner got about half of his boxes hauled to his room (he and Shoichi, thankfully, lived on the ground/first floor), he wasn't sure if he should try to ditch his grandfather or strangle him. Every time they would haul new boxes into the building, his grandfather would make passing comments towards the programming girls that lived down the hall. The young mechanic was blushing the same color as his cherry sucker when his grandfather would make comments on how great he was, and how desperately he was in need of a girlfriend. Spanner even told his grandfather to stop harassing the girls (it didn't help he was ogling them, too), but the old man was just too stubborn…and desperate for great-grandchildren it seemed.

"You should hook up with that Mimi girl. She's a beaut!" Spanner's grandfather encouraged with a perverted, old man smile, and an elbow nudged suggestively into his arm. "Your kids would be super good looking, and smart!"

"She probably has a boyfriend, Gramps," Spanner sighed with irritation. He wasn't interested in having a girlfriend at the moment, and he probably didn't have time for one. When he tended to get focused on projects, he paid little attention to anything else as he poured all of his heart and soul into his creations.

"That shouldn't stop you!" The older man shouted earnestly. "You'll just have to show the bloke up! You're ten times better than he'd ever be, anyway."

Spanner could feel his eyebrow twitch as he placed the box he was holding down in his apartment bedroom. It was a small room, with only enough space for a twin sized bed, a computer desk, a dresser, and a small closet, but the young British teen had chosen this room (even though it was the same size and shape as Shoichi's) because his room was directly across the hall from their apartment's kitchenette. When he'd be working late into the night with his projects, he'd often forget to eat, so sneaking out to get some food was relatively easy (Shoichi always nagged him if he noticed he wasn't eating, or practicing healthy food habits).

"As touching as it is to know you have so much faith in my capabilities, Gramps," Spanner muttered in a droll tone, "you really sound like an arse."

"Hehehe, well, now that you mention it, that Mimi girl had a nice arse as well!" The old inventor joked suggestively as he laughed loud and hard.

Spanner just groaned as he walked out of his room and into the main area, trying to get away from his mental grandfather. The apartment dorm was rather small as well, but comfortable for two people. Spanner's room was in the far right corner, with the kitchenette being in the far left. The living room took up the rest of the space, with Shoichi's room being in the left corner of the room beside the entryway, and the small bathroom (which contained a toilet, small sink, and a one stall shower) was in the right corner nearest the front door.

Although Spanner tried his hardest to leave his guardian in the dust, the young mechanic's grandfather was still able on his feet, and caught up with his irritated and embarrassed grandson with no problem. After the old man waved at the programming girls as the two of them made their way down the hall and out of the apartment complex, Spanner had to suppress another groan. This morning was just too mentally taxing.

Feeling depressed, and just wanting the moving process to end already to make his mad-hatter of a grandfather leave, the two British mechanics made their way outside, only to see two siblings standing beside their trailer; one of them looking very familiar.

Almost immediately, the depression Spanner felt washed away to be replaced by sweet warmth and affection as he heard his roommate, and best friend, greet him after not seeing each other during their entire vacation.

"Shoichi…" Spanner spoke simply, but with a happy, light tone as a small smile made its way across his face. He had been told that he wasn't very expressive in either facial features or voice, but that was from people that didn't know him too well. The sweets-loving inventor knew that Shoichi would be able to tell that he was just as excited to see him as the young programmer was (even though Shoichi was trying to act cool, Spanner could pick up the excitement in the other's voice).

And then, he heard Shoichi speak in near perfect English to his grandfather, and couldn't stop the small chuckle that left his mouth. Shoichi was always being so courteous and trying hard to impress his grandfather for some reason.

"Well, if it isn't Sho-Sho!" Spanner's grandfather exclaimed in happiness, and in Japanese, as he went up to the red-headed programmer and ruffled his hair affectionately. "You've greatly improved your English since the last time I saw you! You have such a genius of a roommate, Ulysses!"

Spanner hummed in agreement as he inwardly chuckled at the sight of Shoichi desperately trying to put his messy hair back into place. There really was no point. The young, bespectacled man had always had unruly hair.

It was then that Spanner took notice of the older woman beside Shoichi. The girl shared some of Shoichi's facial features, but her hair was more of a light brown instead of a reddish-brown. Also, Spanner couldn't help but notice the intense stare down he was getting from the young woman.

"I'm guessing this is the older sister you're always complaining so lovingly about?" Spanner joked lightly, giving Shoichi a knowing glance before he walked up to his friend's sister and extended a hand. "It's nice to finally meet you, Nee-san."

Spanner chuckled a little after that.

"Sorry, your brother has never told me your name. It's always been Nee-san this, or Nee-san that. Would you mind giving me a name to match with your lovely image, Miss?"

* * *

New warmth flooded Shoichi's stomach as he saw a small smile light up Spanner's features. The mechanic's greeting was as tight-lipped as usual, but nonetheless, Shoichi could easily discern the other one was happy to see him.

Before he could concentrate on any further analysis of his friend, though, Spanner's grandfather was up close and ruffling his hair. The young programmer blushed so deeply at that, the color of his cheeks rivaled that of his hair. He tried to be as respectful to elder people as possible, and of course he tried to get on the man's good side, but really! He was twenty years of age! Very flustered, he tried his best to smooth out his mop of hair again.

"Th-Thank you, sir. Your praise is way too high. I am still learning the basics." At the elder's declaration he was a genius, Shoichi blushed a bit more. "So is your grandson. I feel honored to share an apartment with last year's youngest winner of the robotics competition."

This whole scene was even more entertaining than the young woman had hoped for when she had offered to help her kid brother move. She watched Spanner intensely the moment he was greeted by Shoichi. Although the young man was a bit skinny for her taste, she had to agree her little brother had good taste.

There was only the tiniest hint of a smile, though, and his greeting was pretty cold, too, she thought. Cold fish, she decided. Maybe this was why Sho-chan hesitated in sharing his feelings? With someone as inexpressive as that, it was hard to know what they were thinking. But if this Spanner didn't reciprocate Sho-chan's feelings, then he was just an idiot and didn't deserve her kid brother anyway!

"Hm? Oh! Ehm, yeah. That's her," Shoichi answered absolutely inadequately to the question whether the woman next to him was his older sister, since he was still concentrating on Spanner's grandfather.

"Complaining, hm?" Arms folded before her chest, the woman looked to the side, obviously not too happy with her brother.

A bit taken aback, she looked at the hand offered to her by Spanner then, and loosened her defensive stance to shake it. Maybe this young man wasn't quite the cold fish she had taken him for, she surmised, when he joked and chuckled. Her whole opinion of him changed in the next instant. A slight blush crept to her cheeks. Holding her hand up to her mouth, she giggled girlishly.

"My~y, Spanner-san, you are a real British gentleman! My name is Yoko. It's nice to finally meet you, too. Sho-chan speaks so often and highly of you!"

At this bit of information no one had asked for (definitely!), Shoichi almost choked. If he left his sister to her own devices she would spill his secret in no time!

"Nee-san, we need to start unpacking! Didn't you say you had an _**important appointment**_ later?" His emphasized words were accompanied by an even more emphasizing, meaningful look.

"Nah, it's not important at all," she rectified, waving her hand dismissively. "Getting to know the guy you spent most of your year with is way more important." Yoko grinned at Spanner, her gaze full of expectation.

Shoichi didn't know about Spanner, but to him, the prospects of this morning were absolutely horrifying.

* * *

Spanner raised an eyebrow at Yoko's comment.

"Oh?" He questioned with slight surprise in his tone. "He did, did he? I was certain he'd only nag to you about my untidiness and lack of healthy eating habits."

But, before Yoko could say anymore, Shoichi jumped in and insisted that they should start moving his stuff into the apartment. Spanner couldn't suppress the amused smirk that crossed his face for a second. Shoichi was always so amusing to watch when he got flustered; and dare he say, cute. Feeling a little awkward at that last thought, Spanner pushed it to the back of his mind; promptly forgetting about it. It was normal to think that way about a friend, right? With peace of mind, Spanner started moving the rest of his boxes in along with Shoichi, the two of them occasionally helping each other when necessary.

The rest of the morning was…awkward, to say the least, though. Spanner's grandfather would constantly suggest that Spanner should forget about that Mimi girl and go out with Yoko instead. Not only that, but he would send suggestive winks Spanner's way, and comment on how pretty the young lady looked. Spanner couldn't deny that his grandfather was right, but that didn't make it any less weird. Go out with his best friend's sister? That would just make things super awkward; and, not to mention, he wasn't interested in having a girlfriend anyway.

Besides his crazy grandfather though, Yoko would constantly insinuate random things about Shoichi that made little to absolutely no sense to the confused mechanical genius. Just why did Shoichi and him have to be blessed with such weird families?

Thankfully, the morning came to an end, and the moving in process was finished. After respectful goodbyes to his grandfather and Shoichi's sister, the door finally closed behind them and peace once again reigned. With a deep sigh of relief, Spanner couldn't stop himself from glancing Shoichi's way.

"Well, thank the heaven's that's over with, right?" The young mechanic spoke with a lightly joking tone and a small chuckle.

* * *

As much as Shoichi tried to keep his sister busy, she somehow made time for embarrassing comments about him to Spanner. This morning was just the worst. Even more hurtful to him, though, was the grandfather's suggestion that Spanner not only had feelings for Mimi, but that Yoko was a more befitting candidate.

Of course, Yoko was a good-looking, young woman, with the emphasis on the word _**woman**_. Naturally the old man wanted his grandson to get a good wife. It was the normal thing to do to get a nice woman that would support him, cook for him, and keep his home in order. Well, at least Spanner would eat good and healthy food if he were to marry his sister. But she could never stand the messiness of his roommate. She would try to clean up after him and would put away the wrong things.

Shoichi often scolded Spanner for his messiness, too, but he would never touch the screws that seemed to lie on the table randomly, because, in fact, they were put there in the exact order or pattern they were needed for later. He also knew better than to put tools the other had in use back in the box they belonged to, because for some unfathomable reason, Spanner didn't seem to find them there. He did, however, take the tools he needed himself and put those back where they belonged after use. That regularly led to arguments. Still, he was sure they got along better than Spanner ever could with his sister.

Even the lack of interest Spanner showed in his sister didn't alleviate the hurt he felt at the suggestion alone. Maybe the other really already had his sights set on Mimi? She was pretty smart, and in Spanner's robotics class, too. Shoichi's heart sank at that thought.

Between his depressing thoughts and his desperate attempts to shut his sister up and not have her spill his secret feelings, all his books, CD's, computer equipment, and personal effects were finally moved into their apartment. He was at least as happy as Spanner was to finally see their two helpers drive away, and for the two of them to be alone together.

"Yeah. I can't tell you how glad I am to be back and away from my family. Nee-san definitely needs a man to finally keep her nose out of my business. She was constantly snooping around," Shoichi complained. Since he was on that topic anyway, he made one last desperate attempt to discredit any weird comments Yoko had made about him. "Just so you know, she's mental, that one. Don't take her blabbering seriously at all."

Shoichi stretched his slightly aching muscles copiously, his Blood and Peppers shirt (his absolute most favorite band in the world!) riding up to show glimpses of his flat, taut abdomen. Taking off his glasses, he pinched the bridge of his nose before putting it back on and letting himself fall onto their couch.

"Your grandfather seemed well. He's still quite active. Did you guys take that trip to the robotics center in Chiba this summer?" Shoichi asked, interested. "Did you take some tranquillizers along, as I guess he was driving?" He asked with a little chuckle and an amused glint in his eyes. He only knew about the old man's driving habits from Spanner's accounts, and that first corner the old man liked to take screeching when he left the premises, but he could very well believe those drives must be horrifying.

* * *

"She's mental?" Spanner raised an eyebrow in amusement. "You really are getting a hang of that English. You almost sounded like a Brit there."

The young mechanic lost his train of thought, though, when he saw Shoichi stretch, and saw the bespectacled man's favorite band-shirt ride up. Staring at the expanse of toned stomach before his eyes, Spanner couldn't help but think on how Shoichi seemed to have started working out during the summer. He couldn't remember the other's stomach having the slight indication of a six-pack.

"Oh yeah, Gramps is still well," Spanner answered as he watched Shoichi take an exhausted seat upon their couch. "In fact, I think it would take more than death itself to bring him down."

With a soft chuckle, Spanner made his way over to his friend and sat beside him on the couch.

"Actually, I was really busy this summer, so I couldn't take the time to go to Chiba. But thank you for the idea about the tranquilizers. I might have to use those the next time Gramps wants to drive."

Spanner looked into Shoichi's eyes then, a look of deep concentration on his face as he thought over something in his head.

"Actually, Shoichi," the blonde-haired teen started with a little spark of excitement in his pale blue eyes, "how about we go to Chiba to see the robotics center next summer as celebration for winning this year's robotics competition?"

* * *

A proud smile graced Shoichi's lips at the praise. He was really working hard to learn English. Of course, it was good for his later career to learn the language, but most of all, he did it because of, and for, Spanner. He really loved hearing his secret crush speak in his native tongue. If he actually understood what the other said, that would be so much better, right? Also, it brought them closer together. Spanner had agreed to teach him a bit whenever they weren't swamped with other work (since there weren't too many other students who spoke fluent English), that way, once he mastered it, he could make the mechanic feel more at home.

Again, Shoichi chuckled a bit, "I'm glad to hear that, and I guess you're right. Tell me, did he actually make a pass at Mimi, or did I imagine things?"

He turned a bit on the couch when the other one sat down next to him. His expression grew sad with compassion.

"Oh. I'm sorry to hear you were so busy otherwise."

Spanner's sky blue eyes caught his then. He felt a fluttering in his stomach at the intensity of that gaze. The blonde mechanic's suggestion totally surprised Shoichi. He had never expected anything like this. The idea of going on a trip with his best friend was dangerously starting off his imagination, a slight blush creeping onto his cheeks. The confidence the other displayed, though, was able to distract him from those thoughts. He laughed a bit.

"You're pretty confident we'll win, it seems," the other's laugh turned to a smile as his gaze once again locked with Spanner's. "I would like to go. I wanted to see that exhibition for quite a while, but with Nee-san and mom's relationship, the women in the family get to pick vacation spots, and somehow they don't think Chiba is worthy of their time. Also, I bet it will be way more fun going with you." He winked at that last bit.

* * *

Spanner didn't know why, but he felt more alive than he could ever remember at that moment as he heard Shoichi say yes to his proposal. With his blue eyes sparking with more excitement than it felt like he could hold, Spanner winked back.

"Now, we can't have that. We can't have your mum and sister control where you go on holiday forever!" The young mechanic smirked with confidence. "Women always drag men down on holiday anyway. Without them, we blokes can just do whatever pleases us without the extra nagging, and without being designated as the bag carriers."

"Also," Spanner continued with a mischievous gleam in his eyes, "I know we'll be able to celebrate our victory, because we have an advantage over the other contestants. Not only do we have the two of us, the top students of our respective departments, entering that contest, but both of us have memories of the technology from our old future. Because of that, we're sure to win."

The blonde-haired genius seemed to lose himself in thought for a moment before he spoke up again.

"Speaking of technology from our old future…I have something to show you."

Like a child before a Christmas present, the excitement on Spanner's face reached all-time levels as he gave Shoichi a knowing look before he got up and headed towards his room. After a bit of shuffling, Spanner finally pushed out a small, yet tall (it reached up to the average person's stomach), box on wheels. Thankful that their flooring in the apartment was mainly wood, Spanner easily maneuvered the movable box over to where Shoichi still sat, and presented it to him.

"How about you do the honors of opening my greeting present for you, Shoichi?" The young mechanic said with a soft smile as he leaned one hand against the top of the box.

* * *

Shoichi laughed heartily at Spanner's comment, "How do you know with just your grandfather around? Sometimes I can't feel my arms anymore, not to mention that I can't see where to go with all the bags they make me carry!"

His friend's explanation as to why they would win had Shoichi worry his lower lip. Was it fair? This was a question he had asked himself before. It was one thing to make top of the class because of their knowledge, and another to use it in a competition. But, they couldn't just forget about it. Those memories were just there, and almost impossible to ignore. Also, the both of them had been in their alternative time line positions, because they had been geniuses there, too. They were just a little more knowledgeable now, and could learn faster, because some of the knowledge already lay dormant in their heads. They also had so much better understanding of overall correlations and connections that only experience can bring. But the big question Shoichi worried about was if it was fair to use their knowledge and experience against fellow students in direct contest.

Before he could ask Spanner how he thought about this, though, the other one seemed excited about something, and left him for a moment. When he returned, he wheeled in a box.

"Wah? Spanner?! That's...That's just huge!" An embarrassed blush marred his cheeks. What did the other one think?! Shoichi thought of the tiny little gift he had for his friend. There was absolutely no comparison! "I...I don't have anything like that for you..." He mumbled dejectedly.

His gaze had dropped in his embarrassment, but now he looked up, though. He felt bad about his tiny gift, but he couldn't help but be excited for what Spanner had for him. With a hesitant smile, Shoichi looked from the mechanic to his gift. It was a pretty nondescript cart box, except for the English signs, "This way up" and, "Fragile". The funny thing about the box, though, was that it didn't open at the top but at the front. Considering that the gift obviously was heavy, that actually made sense.

Excitement bubbled to the surface then, and Shoichi's eyes lit up. He couldn't wait any longer. Finally he opened the box. The sight that greeted him made his breath hitch. Eyes shining brightly, the young programmer looked at Spanner.

"Wah! Spanner! When...? How...? He...He looks perfect!"

In the box sat Mini Mosca. After Spanner's first place in the robotics competition, the two of them had decided to pool their knowledge and build a Mini Mosca for the next competition together. They had started on the skeleton, its mobility, and inner workings, but that was as far as they had gotten. What greeted him now was a fully cased little robot that looked very much like the one that had gave his electronic life to save his master. With surprising vigor, Shoichi clawed at the cart board, tearing it apart to free the little robot.

"He's...He's beautiful! I...I guess now I know why you didn't make it to Chiba," the red-head said with a soft smile.

Reverently, he reached out to touch the matt-painted, gray robot.

"Please tell me you didn't work on his programming..." Shoichi looked at Spanner again; beseechingly this time.

He knew Spanner had built all of the Millefiore Mosca's by himself, but for this project the blonde mechanic had asked him to join. Spanner was more than able to program this little fellow by himself to be able to handle all the rudimentary functions, but they had agreed they wanted more, and this was where Shoichi was supposed to come in.

* * *

Spanner just sent a small, warm smile his best friend's way when he noticed how embarrassed and disheartened the other seemed to be at the sight of the box.

"Don't worry about something as insignificant as that, Shoichi," Spanner reassured his glasses-wearing friend with a gentle tone. "Technically, we didn't have to get each other gifts in the first place, but we did. The very fact that we even thought of getting something for each other is enough."

The young mechanic wasn't sure if Shoichi agreed with him, but the next second, all such thoughts went to the back of his mind as he watched the excitement grow in Shoichi's dark green eyes. Spanner couldn't suppress the huge smile that spread across his face as he watched Shoichi open the box and react with astonishment at what he saw. It had taken the blonde teen all summer to build the full, working body of Mini Mosca. Truthfully, he still needed to do some fine tuning and add a few mechanisms to it depending on what Shoichi wanted to program the robot to do. But he was complete in body, and he could at least be turned on at the moment. Spanner knew that with him and Shoichi working together, they'd be able to build a better Mini Mosca then the original one he had in his old future.

As he thought this, Spanner almost missed what his programming friend had said.

"Yeah, he's the reason why I wasn't able to go. I was a little bummed that I wouldn't be able to make it to Chiba, but it was a blessing, I think, in the end. Now we get to experience it together! I didn't mind spending my whole holiday on Mini Mosca, though. I really wanted to show you his finished body by the time we had to go back to school," Spanner's soft smile turned into an amused smirk then when he heard Shoichi's plea.

"Of course I didn't do any programming," The blond mechanic chuckled out lightly. "What would have been the purpose of having you on my team if I wasn't going to bloody let you do anything? Mini Mosca doesn't know how to do basically anything except to turn on and walk. I didn't even install voice commands, and I haven't even tried to turn him on yet to test him out. So, how about it, Shoichi? Do you want to do the honors of being the first to officially turn him on and watch him walk?"

* * *

"This is really incredible! I can't imagine how many hours you've put in, but it was worth it," Shoichi decided as his hand slid over the little robot's dome to feel the cool structure of the steel, the gesture very reminiscent of a parent stroking his kid's head.

The red-head smiled in relief when he heard Spanner's answer to his question. "Well, yeah, I guess you're right. But I know how immersed we can get in our work, and how hard it can be to stop. I'm really happy you did, though." Once again, Shoichi's eyes lit up when he heard the offer. "Really? You want me to turn him on? Th-Thank you!"

They had agreed to hide the on/off switch for Mini Mosca underneath the energy pack on the robot's backside. Kneeling down beside Mini Mosca, Shoichi felt for the little switch and found it.

"This really is the greatest gift ever!" Shoichi said, looking up at Spanner with excitement sparkling in his eyes.

Just hitting the switch felt wrong somehow. This here was a momentous event. "3...2...1..." He counted down at least. "Go!"

He hit the switch and a soft red light lit up Mini Mosca's eyes. With a low whirring sound, the little track-drives in the robot's feet started him off. Slowly but surely, he drove in a beeline for the table, hit it with a thud, and then started to push the table ahead.

Shoichi couldn't help but laugh, "Hahaha, hey, little one, stop!" Of course Spanner had told him he hadn't installed voice command yet, so he got up and turned the robot around with quite a bit of effort, so that he made his way back to Spanner.

"Okay, I guess the first things we need to work on are object detection, identification, evasion thereof, and, of course, voice command!" The programmer's eyes were sparkling as he thought about the work to come. He was totally in his element now. All the tiredness he had felt from moving was gone. Shoichi really wanted to start on the programming right now.

"Ehm...Spanner...how tired are you...?"

* * *

Soft, doting affection shone in the young mechanic's eyes as he heard Shoichi's gratitude and watched as the other remembered where they had promised to place Mini Mosca's on switch; turning their baby on. It felt a little weird to think of Mini Mosca as his and Shoichi's kid, but in a way, he was. It didn't help that Shoichi was acting like an excited, first time mother (Spanner bet Shoichi would have _**loved**_ to hear him say that).

A soft chuckle escaped Spanner's lips then as he thought over that little inside joke of his and as he watched Mini Mosca run into the coffee table and start pushing it forward. The blonde teen's amusement only increased as he watched Shoichi try to move the fat, little robot around. Shoichi must have started working out or something, because he was able to turn the robot around all on his own!

Spanner gave a little whistle of amazement as he stared at the other in astonishment. Who said programmers couldn't have muscle? As he thought that piece of information over, he noticed how Mini Mosca was heading his way now. Not interested in being run over, Spanner braced himself and held the moving robot in place as best as he could while he reached around to switch him off. During this, the British mechanic made noises of approval towards Shoichi's suggestions for their robot's programming.

When he was done, and Mini Mosca was off, Spanner stood back up and looked at Shoichi as he asked his question. Smirking at that all-too-familiar twinkle in his best friend's eyes, Spanner could feel whatever exhaustion he had wash away as his blood started to pump at the proposition before him.

"If I'm thinking what you're thinking…" Spanner started as he took the finished stick of his cherry sucker from his mouth, threw it in the nearest trash bin, and then took another sucker from his pocket and stuck it in his mouth. "…I'm not tired at all."

And, after sending Shoichi a knowing smirk, Spanner headed into his bedroom again to grab his tools.

* * *

His roommate and secret crush had a bit of trouble in stopping the little robot. It was at this sight that Shoichi belatedly realized what Spanner had whistled for. A soft blush crept onto his cheeks. Ever since he had grown closer with the Brit, due to them living together, and his feelings for him had deepened, his memories of the Choice Battle had haunted him. He could not only remember how Spanner had been knocked out in their wrecked base, he could still feel the terror of believing the other one dead. When he had felt the mechanic's pulse, he had run off and tried to draw Kikyou away, since he himself was the marked target, but he had been so weak, so slow.

His growing feelings for Spanner had inspired him. He wanted to be stronger. Never again did he want to feel so weak. Since his sister was going to a sports club, he had started to go along during their break. It was slow going, but some results were finally showing.

Spanner's answer was exactly as he expected. Still it made him happy. He had to smile as his friend fluently exchanged the finished sucker for a new one. For a short while, Shoichi had feared for his friend's teeth, but somehow they didn't seem to be affected; neither in their old future nor here.

"That's good to hear," he said with a wink as he pushed his glasses up his nose and went to his bedroom to get his laptop and the cables. Only when he saw the red cables, did he remember his gift for Spanner. With his excitement at seeing the finished casing of Mini Mosca, and said robot's first steps, he had totally forgotten about it.

He pulled the small package from the outer pocket of his laptop carry bag. Shoichi had exchanged the cheap packaging for a black box with black velvet-like lining. He had thought it to be classier. But now, after seeing Spanner's gift for him, he felt it was absolutely inadequate.

Sighing softly, Shoichi, nonetheless, took it with him back into the living room. It might cause his roommate to smile at least.

When Spanner had returned, too, the red-head held out the long, small box to the other one, "I almost forgot. It can never compare to your gift, but...I hope you still like it."

* * *

After grabbing his tool box and his work gloves, Spanner made his way back to the living room. He was beyond excited. Since tomorrow was Sunday, he and Shoichi could stay up all night configuring their robot and coming up with new ideas.

As he placed his toolbox and gloves by the coffee table, and after he moved the table back to its original position (since Mini Mosca had moved it), it was then that Spanner noticed Shoichi holding out a long, black box for him to take.

Hearing the programmer's crestfallen words, Spanner gently took the box in hand and opened it. There, nestled in between the soft, velvet lining of the box were two, red, lightsaber chopsticks.

The blonde-haired teen's eyes widened in shock as he stared down at the beautiful, yet coolest, looking chopsticks he'd ever seen. His inner fan-boy was jumping for joy at having such a utensil in his Star Wars collection now.

"These…These are those expensive Star Wars chopsticks, aren't they?" Spanner questioned as he stared up at Shoichi in amazement. "And these are the Darth Vader one's too. I heard practically every online store or vendor who sells these chopsticks always have them out of stock because of how popular they are! How did you get these, Shoichi?!"

No words could express the amazement and joy he felt then as he held those rare chopsticks in his hand. Shoichi knew that his favorite Star Wars character was Darth Vader!

* * *

Hopeful to at least make the other one smile, the young programmer watched Spanner's reaction as he opened the box. It was just a slight change, eyes widening just a bit, but Shoichi knew Spanner long enough to know he had picked the right gift. It was nothing like the one he had gotten, but his friend was happy, and that was all he could ask for.

"Ah, well...they weren't too expensive..." Shoichi made a dismissive gesture. For two small pieces of plastic, though, they were pretty high priced. "Oh, yeah, the Count Dooku ones are easy to come by, but the Vader lightsabers are rare," he confirmed. His eyes lit up, and a small smile tugged at his lips then. "I made a little bot program. It checked up on twenty different websites twice a day to see when they restocked. I made it so that it put in the order the moment the item became available." It was obvious how proud Shoichi was of his idea.

"I know you like Darth Vader best, so I couldn't settle for Yoda's. I...I'm glad you like them," the other said as his proud smile turned into a truly happy one. The red-haired programmer was really glad that his gift was well received.

"Will you use them, or are you going to put them into your collection?" He asked with a little wink. If Spanner really wanted them just for his collection, he had done the wrong thing in opening them, and even worse, throwing away the original package. He had destroyed the MINT condition. But his friend was the practical type, so he was pretty sure he would want to use them anyway.

* * *

As he listened to Shoichi's answers, Spanner gave a small nod after hearing that the chopsticks weren't too pricey (that was true, but for two pieces of plastic that were used as eating utensils, they sure were). And when he heard of his programming buddy's plan on ordering the chopsticks, the young mechanic couldn't stop the small, proud smile that lit up his face. He was definitely working with the right man. Shoichi was a genius!

A wave of warmth he couldn't explain suddenly washed over his whole body after seeing a truly happy smile light up his best friend's face then. Spanner was happy that he had made Shoichi happy about the gift, especially after how he seemed so downcast about it in comparison to the unveiling of Mini Mosca.

Hearing Shoichi's question then, about either keeping the chopsticks in his collection or using them, Spanner couldn't help but smirk in return as he made his way up to Shoichi and tousled his hair affectionately with one hand.

"I'll use them of course. Chopsticks are meant to be used for eating, so that's what I'll do with them. I bet they'll make those cheap ramen cups taste better."

Chuckling a little at his last statement, Spanner then brought Shoichi into an affectionate, side hug.

"You're a genius, Shoichi. I couldn't ask for a greater mate," the blond mechanic spoke gently with gratitude in his voice. "Thanks for the gift."

Letting go of his roommate, the young Brit made his way over to the table where his tools and Mini Mosca waited.

"How about we get started with the tinkering? Do you want to put on some tunes?" Spanner suggested as he sent a curious glance Shoichi's way. "By the way, did you come across any new CD's or music artists over the holiday?"

* * *

Shoichi was a bit proud of himself that he had judged correctly about the use of the chopsticks. He really had come to know Spanner quite well. Still, he didn't duck fast enough to evade the tousling of his hair. At least it felt worlds better now than when the old man had done it. His smile vanished though at the mention of the cup ramen.

"No cup ramen for you, my friend," the programmer just admonished when the mechanic side-hugged him. Warmth flooded Shoichi's body, and his stomach fluttered at the closeness of the intimate gesture. A little blush crept onto his cheeks again. He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose to hide his flustered state a bit. "I...I've stocked up on new recipes during the break," he continued in slight nervousness. "Nee-san and my mom were only too happy to show me. I can't watch how you eat that artificial stuff. It's just not healthy."

His blush deepened then at the compliment he got. "You're...You're welcome," he stuttered as he had to hold in a soft sigh when Spanner let go of him. Shoichi watched the back of his friend as he approached the coffee table. He shook his head to clear his thoughts before he followed.

"Yeah sure, let's start."

The next question had Shoichi all excited in no time again. "Oh yes! Did you ever hear of High and Mighty Color? It's progressive rock style. I like all of their music so far. You might even know some of their songs from anime."

Shoichi knelt down by the table and started up his laptop. A few moments later Mini Mosca had a bunch of cables hooked up to him and rock music filled the room.

* * *

"High and Mighty Color? Can't say I have," Spanner answered his friend after a moment of thought. But according to Shoichi, they sang some anime songs, so he might actually know them and just didn't know it. Spanner was a fanatic about Japan in general so he did tend to watch a good portion of anime.

And, sure enough, in the next instant, Shoichi was all plugged in and blaring very familiar rock music.

"Is this Ichirin no Hana from Bleach?" The young Brit asked with slight astonishment as he put on his work gloves and opened the back compartment of Mini Mosca. "If it is, then I have at least heard of this group before. What other songs do you like of theirs? I might just put some on my IPod."

* * *

"Yeah, it is!" Shoichi nodded enthusiastically. "I thought the song was so cool, I wanted to hear more from them."

His fingers were flying over the keyboard now as he opened Mini Mosca's start-up program. Although they had built in the radar and motion detectors into the robot's skeleton, their drivers weren't uploaded yet. So that was what Shoichi did first.

"'The Moon Illuminates', is pretty cool, too." Pulling up the window to his player program, he selected the named song. It started with some electric guitar screeching, but became melodic right after. "I really like the voice of the female singer," Shoichi said as he typed in commands, not realizing that his fingers picked up the rhythm of the song. "'Dive into yourself', and 'Last Word', are good, too. I'll let them play, and you can see if you like them as well."

Actually, the red-head was pretty sure Spanner would like the music, too. They tended to like the same music.

"Okay, Mini Mosca's system software now recognizes the radar and motion detectors. That was the easy part. Now he needs to learn how to use the information he gets..." This was a soft mumble, more to himself than to Spanner.

He did look over to his roommate then, though, and offered, "I could put my absolute favorites on your IPod, if you trust my judgment."

* * *

When he heard Shoichi's confirmation to the song's name, Spanner felt a sense of triumph for getting it right, and for the enthusiastic look his best friend was sending his way. After that, Spanner just smiled and nodded as Shoichi listed off other songs, and even played one on his computer that he liked. Spanner had to admit that Shoichi really had some good taste in music, and knew just the right ones to share with him.

After he heard the young programmer mumble cutely to himself about Mini Mosca's operations, he then heard the other's question. A small smirk made its way onto the young blonde's lips as he glanced back towards his red-haired friend.

"Of course, I trust your judgment one hundred percent. You know that, Shoichi. I'll hand over my IPod to you tomorrow if you don't mind," Spanner answered as his smirk turned into a soft smile. "Actually, now that we're on the subject of your judgment, I was wondering if you could give me some advice?"

Spanner looked away then as he thought over the words and ideas in his head. It had been bothering him all night, but his grandfather had been so insistent with the subject that the teenage mechanic couldn't get it off his mind. He was sure that he didn't have time for a girlfriend, but if not now, then when? Maybe this would be the only shot he had in life?

"You know that Mimi girl in my robotics class, and the one that lives down the hall from us? The one that Gramps keeps on insisting that I should date?" Spanner asked with a slight spark of curiosity in his voice. "She's not bad looking, and she's really smart, but do you think I should give her a shot like my Gramps wants? I've never had a girlfriend before, so I fear that I'd screw up or something. What do you think, Shoichi?"

* * *

At hearing Spanner's answer to his offer, the red-haired programmer felt very proud. His eyes shone with happiness. A new wave of warmth swept over him at the sentiment.

"Okay, I'm always glad to share my music with you."

While he looked at Spanner, the other's mood seemed to change. "Yes...Yes, of course. I'll try to help you any way I can," he reassured his secret crush.

A certain excitement grew in the young man as Spanner seemed to collect his thoughts. This seemed to be something pretty important, and his best friend not only wanted to share this with him, but he valued his opinion on it. As fast as it soared, his heart sank again, though.

Lifting his hand to correct the position of his glasses, Shoichi hid tightening lips behind it. Swallowing around the lump in his throat, his features softened, and he dropped his hand. His fears did come true, finally. Spanner had an eye on Mimi. He really should be happy for his best friend, right? Still, it hurt. Nonetheless, he forced a smile onto his face as his stomach pinched uncomfortably.

"Oh, yes. I know her by sight and by reputation, mostly." Not able to bear looking at Spanner any longer, his gaze dropped to the keyboard. "She is very good-looking, to be exact. And yes, I know her by reputation, because she is the top of her math-class, and well-known in the physics department, too. So, I would agree that she is very smart."

It was very hard to force those next words past his lips, but it was the right thing to do if he wanted to consider himself to be Spanner's best friend, at least, "You...You should go for it; not just because of your grandfather, but because she is a good choice."

His hand combed through his hair as pain stabbed his stomach again. He dug his nails into his scalp to distract himself with the self-inflicted, lighter pain. "You will have to try. But you are a kind-hearted person, and very giving. Every girl should feel honored to catch your attention." Even though it was breaking his heart, Shoichi managed another smile. "Just remember to clean up after yourself. Girls don't care for messy guys."

* * *

Hearing Shoichi's words of encouragement and compliments, another wave of affectionate warmth spread through the young mechanic.

"Thanks, Shoichi. That means a lot," Spanner replied with a soft smile. "I'll try it out then. Maybe I'll go and talk to her on Monday during our class together?"

After a moment of thought, Spanner spoke up again.

"As for my messes, well, I don't think I can help that too much, but I'll give it a shot. If she nags to me like you do, I think she'll keep me in line," Spanner joked as he nudged Shoichi in the arm as a friendly gesture. "Now, that's enough about girls, so how about we get back to business, mate. What sort of gadgets did you want me to put in Mini Mosca again?"

After that, the two friends were completely focused on their robot project, the both of them staying up until the wee hours of the morning, programming, and working with circuitry as they planned on the assortments of gadgets and abilities they were going to give Mini Mosca.

When the bright, Sunday morning sunshine shone down into Spanner's face the next day, the blonde teen blinked his eyes groggily as he sat up in bed, and glanced at the clock on the nightstand next to him. Seeing that it was a little after ten in the morning, Spanner yawned, and dragged himself out of bed.

Deciding he would take a quick shower, he grabbed the first clothes he saw in his closet and headed to the bathroom. Before he could enter the small bathroom, though, he came across an obstacle blocking his way. There stood Shoichi, leaning up against the outside of his bedroom door with one hand holding his laptop and the other hand on the handle, fast asleep (and snoring for that matter).

Completely boggled by the sight before his tired eyes, Spanner could only stare at his sleeping friend in astonishment before he groaned. He knew that he shouldn't have left Shoichi to continue his programming last night in favor of going to bed first. Spanner should have made sure that Shoichi got to bed before falling asleep half way there instead!

Adjusting his stocking cap on his head so that it wouldn't fall off, Spanner set down his clothes, and pried Shoichi's computer from his sleeping hands. This was to make sure that when he woke his red-headed friend up that the surprise wouldn't cause him to drop his computer. When the computer was in his hands, and after he positioned it so only one of his hands was holding onto the device, Spanner shook Shoichi's shoulder as hard as he could with his free hand.

"Shoichi, wake up! You're in a weird position again!"

When that didn't do anything, Spanner quickly thought of the only other option available to him. Sticking his finger in his mouth, and thoroughly lubricating it with saliva, he stuck the finger in Shoichi's ear. Wet Willy's always woke Shoichi right up!

* * *

The red-haired programmer had been glad to immerse himself in the world of code. Computers were so much easier to handle than people; computers didn't break your heart. Working on Mini Mosca had helped calm him down a bit, but he had still been hurt, and his stomach turned because of it. There was no way he could sleep this way, so he bid Spanner good night when the other became too tired to keep going.

As soon as Spanner was in his room, Shoichi went to the bathroom and got himself some Tums. Slowly, they helped calm his stomach, but when he finally went to bed, he was so tired that, somehow, he didn't quite make it.

With a start, he was wide awake as something disgustingly wet was placed in his ear.

"YUCK!"

Blinking, Shoichi tried to get his bearings on where he was and what had just happened.

"Shiiit...Spanner, you know I hate that..." He grumbled tiredly, rubbing his ear. "Did I...Did I fall asleep standing?"

Okay, he had to admit this was a new one. He had had some interesting sleeping positions before, but still, standing had to be a record, even for him.

"Do I have another hour?" Shoichi asked his friend. An hour of sleeping in his bed, lying in the horizontal, did sound pretty damn good right now. He guessed his locked knees would thank him for it, too.

* * *

Just like he thought, Shoichi woke with a jolt at the wetness applied to his inner ear.

"I know you hate it," Spanner stated simply in response, "but if it's the only way to wake you up, what other option do I have? Maybe if you fell asleep like a normal person, we wouldn't have to do this all the time?"

A soft, joking smile made its way onto the young mechanic's lips then, to show his friend that he didn't mean it as an insult. Truthfully, it always amused him to see Shoichi passed out in random positions, but it also concerned Spanner, because it was usually bad for his friend's back.

"Yeah, this has to be the first time I've seen you sleeping standing up," Spanner spoke with concern as he heard Shoichi's other question. "Your back must be super sore right now."

It really amazed Spanner on how his friend could fall asleep so easily, and in any position possible. Compared to his versatile roommate, Spanner knew that he at least needed something soft to lie on before he could doze off.

"Of course you can have another hour, mate. Classes don't start until tomorrow," the British teen continued as he handed over Shoichi's computer for the other to take. "How about this? You go and lay down for an hour, and I'll take a quick shower here, and work on configuring Mini Mosca's finger gadgets. I'll come and wake you around 11: 30, so we can make some brunch together. You can show me one of those recipes your mum and sister taught you."

Sending a wink the red-head's way, Spanner patted him on the shoulder, opened his buddy's door, and offered Shoichi to go inside.

"And how about we relax for a bit after brunch and watch something? I have the first season of Star Trek if you're interested. And maybe, if your back still hurts, I can give you a little massage. You know I'm good with those."

* * *

Combing his hair back with his fingers, Shoichi yawned. He softly grumbled at Spanner's rhetorical questions. He couldn't really answer anyway. Short of an earthquake, or Squalo's screaming, nothing could wake him when he really passed out; nothing except Spanner's disgusting Wet Willies.

Only when his roommate mentioned it, did Shoichi feel the tenseness in his back. He groaned as he tried to stretch.

"Well, at least the sensory input is working with the analytical programming, and the voice command is set up. It already works with the movement basics. So, Mini Mosca understands commands like, 'go to the coffee table', and he won't try to overrun it unless you tell him to," he stated a tiny bit proud, and with a wink at the end.

His back and knees felt pretty sore, but Shoichi felt like it was still worth it. He nodded at the declaration that today was still classes free.

"Hm...yeah. Sounds like a plaaa~aan." That last word was barely discernible, drowned out as it was in a long yawn.

With his laptop under his arm, Shoichi staggered sleep drunk through his door. He nodded at the idea of watching something later, but didn't even turn his head. Only then, Spanner said something that, for one moment, mobilized the last remnants of wakefulness. When he turned his head, Shoichi's eyes shone. If it were possible, pounding, little pink hearts would have flown from them.

"Really? Would you?! You're the best! They're the best! I bet I'll need it badly."

When Spanner promised he'd stick to his offer, a long, satisfied sigh left the programmer. With his last strength, he pushed the laptop onto his nightstand, dropped onto the mattress, and he was out like a light.

* * *

Shoichi was pretty despondent, that is, until Spanner had mentioned giving him a massage. In the next instant, the blond-haired mechanic saw his friend's tired face light-up like fireworks in the dead of night. A soft smile graced Spanner's lips as he promised to give his roommate what he desired most, and asked him to get some restful sleep in turn.

After shutting the door behind Shoichi, Spanner grabbed his clothes from the floor and headed to the bathroom behind him. After a quick shower (Spanner made a mental note to upgrade the crappy shower head the college didn't see fit to upgrade themselves later on), the British teen got dressed and headed to the living room where his tools, and Mini Mosca, still were. The next forty minutes went by fast as Spanner tested out the voice command Shoichi had operated into Mini Mosca's system, and added a fire extinguisher mechanism into one of Mini Mosca's fingers. Making sure that all the circuitry worked with the fire extinguisher, and making a note to tell Shoichi about programming the voice command into the robot along with the essential protocols needed in order for Mini Mosca to know when, and why, he'd need to use the fire extinguisher, Spanner was about to figure out how to add a microwave to the robot's belly. It was here that he realized, though, that it was time to wake Shoichi up.

Heading to his roommate's room, Spanner knocked on the door out of courtesy before he opened the door and walked in. There he saw Shoichi laying face first on the bed with one foot practically touching the floor, and his arm still outstretched towards his nightstand where his computer lay. Shaking his head at his friend's crazy sleeping position again, Spanner made his way over to the bed and shook Shoichi. The young programmer must have really wanted that massage if he wasn't lying on his back to make it feel better.

Realizing that shaking and raising his voice at the other wasn't helping him to wake up, Spanner tried to think of another way to wake his roommate without having to resort to a Wet Willie again (he didn't want Shoichi too angry with him). Pondering for a second, Spanner went over to the computer lying on Shoichi's nightstand and opened it. After finding the red-head's music file, the sweets-loving teen clicked on Ichirin no Hana, fast forwarded the song to the screaming part, and put the computer speakers on full blast.

Bracing himself, Spanner quickly pressed play and covered his ears.

* * *

Since Shoichi was such a music lover, he had refitted the cheap, lousy sounding speakers in the laptop with top grade ones. Even at the volume Spanner had chosen to wake him up, they sounded halfway decent.

Different from the Wet Willy, this kind of wake-up call was working slower, but much more humane on him. "Hmmm...?" Shoichi murmured, blinking slowly. When it didn't get much brighter, even though his eyes were open, and he realized there was something soft pressing against his nose, he turned his head.

Blinking again, he now could discern Spanner. "Is it time already?" Most probably his friend couldn't make out his words over the blaring music. With a yawn, Shoichi turned onto his back and stretched; after which, Spanner finally turned off the music. The stretching made the red-head feel a tiny bit better, but his back was really sore now.

'_Hot shower. That's what's needed_', he decided. "Thanks for waking me. I'll just take a shower, and then we can start on the food. Okay?" He brought himself into a sitting position. Shoichi had no idea how crumpled he looked. Not just his clothes, but his face too, since he had slept face first in a bunched up part of blanket. That meant all the wrinkles had neatly imprinted themselves onto his skin, and, not to mention, he also hadn't even taken off his glasses.

The young programmer got up then, went to his closet, and pulled out some fresh clothes. "Did you try out the voice command?" Shoichi asked over his shoulder as he decided on the right t-shirt. He settled on a Metallica shirt today. It was a size too big, but damn comfy for Sunday hang-outs because of that. "I'm gonna work on his comprehension some more these days. At the moment, he will only react to clear cut commands."

His fresh clothes under his arm, he turned back to Spanner. "I want him to be able to pick things out in a normal conversation and also react to them on his own someday. It'll take quite some problem solving solution algorithms I have yet to write, but just imagine how that would go over at the competition if we ask the jury for any household problem and make Mini Mosca solve it on his own." There was a slightly dreamy look on Shoichi's face when he said that.

* * *

To the British teen's surprise, Shoichi didn't wake right away. It took a minute or two, but when the red-head finally stirred, he didn't seem the slightest bit irritated by the loud music. Not able to comprehend how that was possible, or what his roommate was saying to him now, for that matter, Spanner quickly turned off the music and set the volume to a regular level, so that Shoichi wouldn't be taken by surprise when he turned it on again.

"That sounds good," Spanner agreed as he gave his ruffled-looking friend a once over. "I think you'll need a shower in order to fully wake up and relax those muscles of yours. And speaking of showers, I think we should modify that crappy shower head of ours pretty soon. The pressure leaves a lot to be desired."

Hearing Shoichi's next words, Spanner couldn't help but smile proudly at his roommate.

"Yes, I tried the voice command out. It works like a charm," the young mechanic praised his programming friend.

And then he saw that dreamy look cross Shoichi's face, and couldn't help but chuckle at how wishful the other looked.

"Yeah, that would be awesome if we could get Mini Mosca to do that," Spanner agreed with an amused smile before it turned serious. "I know we both have the skills to do it, but do you think we have the right computer program to make those algorithms? Or do you think you can find a way to put those into Mini Mosca with the one we have?"

* * *

Although he had heard the comment about the shower head, it wasn't too important to Shoichi at the moment. Not when compared to the way more interesting topic of Mini Mosca and his programming.

He returned Spanner's smile in the same manner. "Good. Very good."

Slowly the red-haired programmer nodded. "Yeah. Those were my own thoughts exactly. To create these algorithms, I will need more computing power than both our laptops combined could provide. With my advanced computer class this year, though, I get working hours at the school's supercomputers. To them, it will be a piece of cake. It will take me a while to create the programs, but the technical requirements are met with this."

Shoichi left his bedroom then, pushing Spanner backwards and out of his room that way. He leaned against the door frame for a moment.

"Like you said, we've got the skills. We should be able to make Mini Mosca do anything we like, and I won't let myself get stopped by mere missing computing power alone. I'll just finish my exercises on the supercomputer faster, and work on the algorithms there. Once I have done them, I can easily copy them onto my laptop."

Shoichi seemed quite confident with his plan. He pushed his glasses up his nose. "We'll talk some more later."

The young programmer went to the bathroom and took a pretty hot shower then. He was moaning when a bit of the tenseness in his back left him. Stretching and turning, he enjoyed his shower time. Now, Shoichi remembered the comment about the shower head. Spanner was right. They needed a new one.

After getting out of the shower, he dried off and put on the fresh clothes, throwing the old ones in the laundry basket. Then he joined Spanner.

"Let's make some brunch. What do you want to try? Tamagoyaki? Miso with mackerel? Green tea rice with fruits?"

* * *

Spanner's eyes widened as Shoichi talked about getting access to the supercomputers in the school. The British teen could feel a shiver go down his spine at the thought of what those amazing computers could do.

As he stared at the other in amazement, he almost didn't see his roommate come towards him and start pushing him out of the bedroom. Once he was outside, and after Shoichi mentioned copying the algorithms to his laptop, the British teen nodded in assent towards the other's suggestion.

"Yeah, let's talk later," Spanner spoke with pride and affection in his voice as he gave Shoichi a pat on the shoulder, "my genius of a roommate."

When Shoichi finally entered the bathroom, excitement coursed through Spanner's body at the prospects of their Mini Mosca project. He couldn't wait until their little robot was up and fully functioning!

While he waited for Shoichi to finish his shower, Spanner decided to start tinkering on the microwave in Mini Mosca's stomach. That's where Shoichi met up with him fifteen minutes later.

Upon hearing his best friend's question, the young mechanic's mouth couldn't stop watering at all the delicious sounding prospects. He usually didn't eat too well during college, but it seemed Shoichi was really intent on not letting that continue this year around.

"They…They all sound delicious," Spanner choked out in amazement with slightly widened eyes. "I think I'm feeling miso soup with mackerel, actually. It's been so long since I've had mackerel."

As the blonde teen got up to follow his red-haired companion to their kitchenette, Spanner's baby blue eyes directed their attention his friend's way with hope and anticipation shining in them.

"Do you think we can have the rice and fruits tomorrow morning? Do we have strawberries?"

Spanner knew that Shoichi knew his favorite fruit was strawberries; even though his favorite flavor for suckers was cherry. Cherries were his second favorite fruit.

* * *

Shoichi could hear the longing in Spanner's voice, and had to smile. After witnessing Spanner's bad eating behaviors first hand last year, he had sworn to himself to take better care of his best friend this year. He swallowed around the lump in his throat when he realized that Mimi might watch out for him soon, but at least until then...

"A...Okay, mackerel it is," he answered, a bit shaken from his depressing thoughts.

Pushing up his glasses, he gathered himself again with the familiar gesture as Spanner got up from his workspace, which was already strewn with his tools. Softly, Shoichi sighed. It was starting again. These thoughts never went very far, though, when hopeful, blue eyes looked at him.

Shoichi couldn't help but smile. "Well, they are only canned, but of course I brought some strawberries along. I know how you like them." Usually it was Spanner who initiated physical contact between them, but sometimes, Shoichi felt encouraged enough. He put a hand on Spanner's shoulder and squeezed it.

"Since it's supposed to be brunch, how about we make it a bit hearty? We've got some carrots and potatoes and daikon (Jap. horseradish). We could make it a stew," he offered after dropping his hand again. His mom had packed the food and put in vegetables that would easily hold until Monday when they could get fresh things. "I'll go grocery shopping tomorrow afternoon. If you want anything special, tell me. I'll try to get some fresh strawberries then. Did you bring enough sugar to keep producing your suckers the next few days?"

It really was the funniest and cutest thing about Spanner. Not only did he suck on the things almost constantly, he made them himself; and in the form of wrenches no less! Once or twice, Shoichi had even tried them during all night working sessions. Spanner was right, the sugar did help with the thinking, and it helped keep him awake during those times. Nonetheless, Shoichi wasn't too much of a sweet tooth, and leaned more towards salty snacks.

* * *

When he heard that the strawberries Shoichi had were canned ones, Spanner couldn't stop the slight feeling of disappointment. Canned fruits weren't as good as fresh, ripe ones, but they definitely were on the cheaper side. His saddened thoughts were quickly interrupted, though, when he felt Shoichi's hand squeeze his shoulder. Spanner was a bit taken aback by the gesture, since Shoichi didn't initiate physical contact too much, but it was a nice feeling, despite that.

Upon hearing his friend's next words, the young mechanic's mouth watered once again.

"Mmm, mackerel and vegetable stew sounds absolutely delicious," Spanner agreed as he went over to one of the low cupboards and brought out the big stew pot he saw Shoichi place in there yesterday. "Hmmm…I don't know what else I would want from the store…but how about checking to see if they have any cherries, too? I was going to try and add real cherry flavors to my suckers, instead of that artificial flavoring. But don't worry about the sugar. I swear my Gramps bought half of the nearest sugar factory for me."

With an amused smirk sent the programmer's way, Spanner continued, "So with that out of the way, how about you show me how to properly cook this stew, mate."

* * *

It made Shoichi happy that the mechanic agreed to his idea. Spanner had even gotten the pot out already when he turned to the fridge and retrieved the carrots and daikon.

"Oh. That sounds like a good idea. I would try one of those if you succeed," the red-head laughed then. "Hahaha. That's actually very nice of him. He really cares a lot about you." The amused gleam in his eyes turned to one of mischief. "He might kill you with his driving, but at least you'll die sucking happily..." Again he laughed at Spanner's reaction. "Okay, okay! Stew! I'll show you."

Pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose again, he sobered up. "You start with peeling and cutting the veggies. We have enough ingredients to make it last for tomorrow, too. So, I'd say about three liters of water should be okay."

While Spanner cut the vegetables, Shoichi started on the soup base and explained what he did. He helped out with the cutting when the seasoned water boiled. "Since they are all hard vegetables we can throw them in at the same time. They need about the same time to cook," he explained when he threw in the cut pieces.

Since they had to wait for a bit now, they went to the coffee table and Mini Mosca. "Oh, that's the microwave, isn't it?" His eyes lit up once again, like they always did when they talked about the little robot. "Do you remember when we talked about different liquids that might come from his fingers? Just think how cool it would be if he could make popcorn in his belly, and have the melted butter at the ready, too?" Shoichi really liked salted, buttery popcorn. "Hmmm, but I guess that would be too much of a mess. The cooled butter would clog up the nozzle too easily, I guess."

* * *

"…That sounded so wrong, Shoichi…" Spanner commented when he heard his friend's statement about sucking away happily as he died, but Shoichi just laughed at his expression and went on explaining how to make the stew. Spanner had cooked a little before, so he at least knew how to cut up vegetables, but everything else was so new to him. Following his friend's instructions, they were able to make up the stew in no time at all.

As they waited for their brunch to cook, they went into the living room and looked at Mini Mosca. Hearing the young programmer's thoughts on their robot making use of different liquids, Spanner's expression turned into a thoughtful one.

"I think we would be able to pull off the butter gadget if we made a separate compartment within one of Mini Mosca's fingers to hold the butter. We could have a divider that shuts over the tube that would connect the butter compartment to the end of Mini Mosca's finger, so that when we wanted the butter, Mini Mosca could automatically warm it up within the compartment and open the divider to the connecting tube and nozzle when he was ready to butter the popcorn. It will be a little tricky, and I'll need to do some extra welding, but if we start on it tonight at some point, I'll have it finished by morning, I think."

Giving his friend a confident look, he then smelt the delicious aroma wafting from their kitchenette.

"That stew smells delicious," Spanner almost moaned in anticipation as his mouth watered from the aroma. "How about you finish up the stew and get it ready for us to eat, and I'll go and start up that Star Trek DVD in the living room for us to watch?"

Star Trek and mackerel stew sounded like the perfect way to spend their Sunday afternoon.

* * *

Even while he went back to the kitchenette, Shoichi's mind was on the problem. He added some wakame (dried seaweed), the mackerel, and the miso paste. A few minutes later, he filled two bowls and carried their brunch over to Spanner.

The both of them were used to their coffee table being occupied by a current project and that was why they had gotten themselves TV trays with foldaway stands. After Spanner got those TV trays ready, the both of them sat down on the couch to eat.

"I thought about it some more. If we keep the nozzle heated, the butter can't congeal. On the one hand, we would use energy even when we don't use the gadget, but on the other hand, we won't need to heat up the whole compartment, which takes up a lot more energy. If the tube part is heated too, that should be enough to have the butter all warmed up. I'm guessing that would be less work for you, too, right?"

He looked at Spanner then and remembered the food before them. He tended to forget about other things so easily when he was hooked on a problem like that. "Oh my...let's eat. I hope it's good." Blushing a bit, he pushed up his glasses and started to eat. At least Spanner knew him, and was much the same in regard to the one-track-mindedness concerning an interesting problem, so he never took offense at these things.

"Did you bring Classic or TNG?" He asked, interested then. He hadn't seen the cover for the DVD. "Turn it on, turn it on."

* * *

Heading to his bedroom to grab the DVD lying on his desk, Spanner was able to make it back to the living room right when Shoichi finished the stew. The blonde teen hummed a little tune as he placed the DVD into the player and went over to the couch. As he set up their TV trays and sat down on the couch, Shoichi came over and handed a bowl of delicious smelling stew to him. The British mechanic wanted nothing more than to dive in and consume the wonderful food, but Shoichi's idea made him stop and think.

"Yeah, that does sound a lot easier, mate," Spanner agreed after a moment of contemplation. "Okay, I'll do that sometime tonight then while you do some more programming."

Upon hearing his friend's next words as the red-head stuttered and started digging into his food, Spanner couldn't suppress the chuckle that escaped him. Deciding to take a bite himself, Spanner took his Darth Vader chopsticks (he had grabbed them from his room at the same time as the DVD) and dug around in his stew until he found a bit of fish. Placing the food in his mouth, the young blonde practically melted at the savory taste. Shoichi definitely knew how to cook!

"Delicious…" Spanner murmured to himself as he took a bite of potato next. But upon hearing Shoichi's next question, and the excitement in his tone, Spanner swallowed and smiled as he grabbed for the DVD remote on the coffee table (after moving around some of his tools, of course).

"Well, let's see, shall we?" The sweets-loving mechanic said with a smirk as he pushed play on the remote. In the next instant, the classical images of the first season of Star Trek flashed across the main menu, and an image of Captain Kirk and the Starship Enterprise took center stage on the screen.

"Enjoy, Shoichi," Spanner gently said with another smirk as he took a bite of the savory stew.

* * *

His heart actually skipped a bit when Spanner complimented the stew. It really felt good to hear his secret crush liked his cooking. Only then, he remembered about Mimi, and his soaring heart plummeted.

"Thanks," he murmured softly, "you did your part, too."

He concentrated on the screen to not let his feelings show. Seeing Kirk, though, did lighten his mood a bit. A moment later, he had a smile on his face as he spoke along with the intro. "Space: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the Starship _Enterprise_. It's five-year mission: to explore strange new worlds; to seek out new life and new civilizations; to boldly go where no man has gone before."

They ate and watched then; sometimes making comments on the funny looking rubber-suit aliens or the technical ideas. As soon as Shoichi was done eating, he put away his tray; stretching a bit and groaning softly. He didn't want to say anything to Spanner about his offer to massage him, but he shifted a bit on the couch, trying to find a position that didn't tense up his back too bad. Maybe he groaned a slight bit more than what was necessary.

No, he didn't want to remind his friend and inconvenience him; at least, not too consciously and obviously. But he really, really, looked forward to Spanner's hand working wonders on his back. He had felt them a very few times before, and they felt like heaven on his sore muscles!

* * *

"I don't think that just cutting up the vegetables constitutes for the taste, Shoichi," Spanner chuckled out as the first episode started.

The softest of smiles crossed his lips then as he watched the intro and heard Shoichi speak along with Captain Kirk.

"So you're Captain Kirk now? Does that make me your Spock?" The young mechanic laughed a little at that again, but all he heard was Shoichi groan. Now that he thought of it, it had been a pretty lame joke.

All too soon, the both of them were finished eating about half way through the episode. Placing their trays to the side, the both of them continued to watch the show, but Spanner couldn't help but notice how much Shoichi was shifting on the couch. Maybe he was trying to get comfortable to fall asleep or something? He hadn't gotten the most restful sleep last night, after all. But that didn't make sense with all the groaning, though. Spanner couldn't quite remember, but he felt like he was forgetting something important as they continued to watch the episode; Shoichi's groaning and shifting included.

"You know, Shoichi," Spanner started after thinking through what might possibly be the problem with his geeky friend, "if you have to go to the loo, you can just say so. I don't think the Enterprise will blow up if I pause for a second."

* * *

"At least you're calm and stoic enough to be Spock," Shoichi replied, a bit grumpy that his friend didn't react to his obvious discomfort. "I never really wanted to be Kirk. He is way too reckless, he never cared for any rules, and speaking honestly, he isn't the brightest. I guess I always felt the strongest about Scotty."

Again, he shifted as he felt his back ache in the current position.

At the comment of his friend, Shoichi's eyes went wide. He blushed deeply. "It's...It's not _that_! I...know how to pause the DVD!" The programmer felt embarrassed at the implied reason for his shifting around.

He would have to come out with the true reason, otherwise Spanner might have very weird, and even more embarrassing, thoughts about him. "It's...It's my back. I can't find a comfortable position. It's all tensed up and aching," he admitted still blushing. "I'm sorry, I didn't want to annoy you with my fidgeting."

* * *

Spanner held a fist up to his mouth to try and stifle the loud chuckle that irrupted from his throat at his friend's true excuse. He felt a little embarrassed for guessing wrong, but how else was he supposed to know? And he also felt a little bad for forgetting about that promised massage. The stew and Star Trek had his total and complete attention to the point that he had forgotten everything else, and Spanner hated to admit that was a huge character flaw of his. Once he was focused on something, practically the only thing that could divert his attention from it was some sort of divine intervention.

"Sorry, Shoichi, I became too focused on the show that I forgot," the young mechanic apologized wholeheartedly for his mistake, and for embarrassing himself and his friend in the process. "But why didn't you just say so in the first place? I would have helped you sooner."

With a sincere smile, Spanner ruffled his best friend's hair with his hand as he got up from the couch.

"Okay, how about you lay down on your stomach, mate, and I'll try to find your problem areas?"

And just as he suggested, the red-haired programmer laid down to cover the whole couch as Spanner knelt down on the ground beside him. Taking his ungloved hands, he traced them down Shoichi's back as he tried to find the areas of greater tension. From what it felt like, Shoichi's whole back was stiff and sore from his previous night's sleep. Furrowing his brows in deep concentration, Spanner got to work on his roommates back as he started from the top; Shoichi's shoulders.

Digging his thumbs into the other's shoulder blades, the British teen started kneading small circles into his friend's skin at a slow pace. He wanted to make sure he wasn't too hasty, or else he'd cause more damage to Shoichi's muscle structure. As he did this, he listened closely to the noises Shoichi made to make sure that he was doing everything right.

* * *

"I didn't want to impose...I thought maybe I could hold out 'til after the episode," the red-head answered, though the real reason was that he wanted Spanner to notice himself. Perhaps it was childish, but he wished for his friend to care about him and to just know.

He wrinkled his nose as his hair was ruffled. Although he made a face to the contrary, Spanner was the only person he liked to ruffle his hair.

Shoichi took off his glasses and lay down when the other one asked him to. "The shoulders and lower back are the worst," he said before he buried his face in his arms that were crossed underneath him.

A shiver ran down the programmer's spine when Spanner's hands touched him. Moments later, he was purring like a kitten under the mechanic's ministrations. A few groans escaped him when a thumb kneaded into a new knot, but they loosened fast under the talented hands of his friend, which elicited soft moans of relief, and even pleasure from the programmer.

"Hmmm...it feels soooo good...I can't tell you..." Shoichi mumbled way more relaxed. "Can you...just a little lower...Oh, damn...yeah...that's the spot." He groaned at the slight pain when Spanner worked on a very hard knot, only to sigh deeply when the wondrous hands undid it. "You're the best."

In his relaxed state, Shoichi's strict control of his mind slipped. For a moment, he pictured the talented hands on his skin touching more than his back. How would those calloused hands feel on his chest? His stomach? And...lower?

When his rationality caught up to his flying fantasies, Shoichi bit his lower lip. The slight physical pain was nothing compared to how he had just hurt himself with these dreams that never could be. Not to mention that he now had another stiffness to deal with.

'_Pi is 3.1415926535; the fourth root of 8956 is 9.728...' _Shoichi tried to calm his body by occupying his treacherously wandering mind with math problems.

* * *

Hearing the other's deep sighs and purrs of pleasure, Spanner knew he was doing very well. Listening to Shoichi's request, he went lower on his friend's body and kneaded the sore flesh below his fingertips. But as he got lower, he could feel the knots in Shoichi's back become harder and less cooperative, and Shoichi's shirt became a hindrance in effectively massaging the other's back.

"Sorry for the intrusion, Shoichi," Spanner mumbled out in his concentration, "but I have to go under your shirt in order to get to the knots in your lower back."

And, before he could hear the programmer's answer, Spanner easily lifted the other's shirt and exposed his bare back to the air. Immediately getting down to business, Spanner's hands groped, prodded, and kneaded the smooth skin as effectively as he could. He didn't want his friend to have back problems this early in his life, so Spanner felt it was essential to help Shoichi out with massages whenever he could. It was the least he could do, since his roommate was so focused on cooking meals for him now.

* * *

Just when he thought solving math problems in his head might help, Spanner lifted his shirt. There was no time to protest, and no sensible reason would come to mind anyway. Cool air hit his warm skin, and goosebumps grew on his back.

The calloused fingers he had tried to imagine just moments ago touched his skin. Although he really didn't want to, he couldn't help but moan softly. It felt way better than what he had imagined. It was an incredible feeling, and it was turning him on again.

"Nngh," he groaned softly when he felt the couch underneath him only too vividly. As much as Shoichi tried this time, not even a math-problem more complicated than 2 + 2 would come to his mind. It was just too active with other thoughts.

'_Please keep going'_, the red-head prayed. Maybe if this went on a bit longer, he had a chance to calm down again; only, each and every touch felt like heaven. It relaxed the knots in his back, and made him wonder how those hands would feel working on his lower parts.

Those kinds of thoughts really didn't help to calm him down. Shoichi tried to lift his ass a bit, to take away some of the pressure on his growing problem.

* * *

To the young mechanic's surprise, he felt Shoichi raise his hips as he started massaging the small of the other one's back. Raising an eyebrow with said motion in return, Spanner realized how difficult it was to massage his roommate's back when he was raising it higher. With firm hands, he stopped the massage for a second to grab a hold of Shoichi's hips.

"Now, now, Shoichi, don't get your knickers in a twist here," Spanner said with a soothing tone as he gently pushed his friend back down onto the couch with complete obliviousness. "I'm not finished yet. Just sit tight, alright?"

As Spanner got back to work, taking his sweet time with all of the knots in his friend's back, he couldn't help but be attuned to the sounds the other was making. Several times, he had to push Shoichi's hips back down onto the couch, and each time would issue a small moan from his red-headed friend. The young Brit was beginning to contemplate if he should crawl onto Shoichi's back to hold his hips down as he continued his massage, but just the very thought sent a wave of awkwardness through his being, and made a weird, turning feeling fill his stomach. A little disgruntled at the break in his concentration, Spanner tried to refocus his thoughts on the massage, but all he ended up doing was focusing more on the sounds of pleasure Shoichi was making.

When a particularly loud moan escaped the young programmer's lips, Spanner immediately stalled in his actions. To the mechanic's amazement, during this lapse in action, he finally took notice of a little problem of his own. Somehow, and someway (Spanner couldn't figure it out for the life of him), he had become half hard during the massaging process. Baby blue eyes immediately widened as shock overtook his brain, and his hands hovered above his best friend's back as if they were frozen in place. _**What?**_

Unable to understand what was going on, and a little frightened, Spanner quickly stood and rubbed the back of his head in a perplexed manner.

"Um…I think I got all the knots out, Shoichi," Spanner muttered quickly as his brain rushed a mile a minute over his surprising physical problem. "I'm a little tired now, so I think I'll go and take a quick nap. You can watch more Star Trek episodes if you want."

And with that, Spanner turned around and headed towards his room. Shutting the door behind him, the young mechanic lay down on his bed in a daze. This was common for massages, right? He had heard plenty of people, misuse and customer alike, getting turned on by massages. It was an intimate form of interaction, after all, and intimate action was something Spanner lacked severely. It was probably because of his pent up frustrations as to why he had gotten a little hard. That was normal for a guy, right?

Deeming this answer satisfactory, Spanner pushed any concerning thoughts to the back of his mind and concentrated on taking a quick nap. With some rest, his little problem would probably go away. Going to the bathroom might have been easier in the long run, but Spanner didn't want to look suspicious. Shoichi was super smart, and he would have figured out why his roommate would have to go to the bathroom right after giving him a massage. Spanner didn't even want to think of the reaction that would get out of Shoichi!

Sighing a little into his pillow at his weird bodily functions (Little Spanner had quite the impeccable timing, he might add), Spanner closed his eyes and fell into light slumber, hoping to forget this awkward ordeal ever happened.

* * *

When Spanner pushed his hips back down, the friction it caused was viciously delicious. Shoichi had to bite back a deep moan. His, "knickers" were in a twist; definitely so. His boxers were getting pretty tight around his hardening flesh. Spanner using more force to knead the knots wasn't helping at all. Even though it hurt a bit (which might have helped!), it also moved his body enough to cause new friction.

Soft moans and mewls escaped Shoichi, who was blushing like crazy now. How on earth was he ever going to get out of this situation without dying of embarrassment?

When the pressure grew, he again tried to alleviate it by lifting his hips, only to get pushed down again. The young programmer was absolutely torn. His body wanted Spanner to go on. Every push, rub, and knead felt so good! But his mind feared the consequences. What would Spanner think of him, once he found out?! This was supposed to be a friendly massage, and he was moaning and writhing in pleasure, and nearly cumming! Damn!

Again he tried to stop the delicious friction, only to get pushed down again. With a groan, he felt his boxers get wet with pre-cum. Oh damn! It was so good and so bad at the same time.

It was bad enough that he was hard from Spanner's friendly gesture, but if he really...! And on their couch no less…! Desperately he again raised his hips to stop the chain reaction. Once again, he was pushed back down. It almost undid him, and he moaned like a wanton whore. Shoichi squeezed his eyes shut, and bit his lip. Please, don't!

Suddenly, all action stopped. Spanner muttered something about being tired and rushed from the room. Only when he heard the door to the other's room shut did the programmer dare to breathe again; soft pants that were somewhere between relief and sobbing.

He wished to some higher being that Spanner really was just tired, but he was pretty sure his embarrassing moaning had sent the other from the room in order to not embarrass his friend any more than he had already done himself.

A trembling hand reached for the remote and turned the DVD off. Pretty awkwardly, Shoichi got up from the couch. He stared at Spanner's door. What was he supposed to do? With the pressing problem at hand, he just couldn't think at all. On very awkward tiptoe, he went to the bathroom, opening and closing the door as softly as possible. It took mere seconds to take care of himself in the state he was already in.

His hands on the sink, he looked at his reflection in the mirror. He had really embarrassed himself badly before his friend. He felt awful and he looked like it. With some cold water, Shoichi washed his face. As silent as possible, he went to his own room to change his underwear. Sighing, he knew the only thing that might take his mind off things was diving into the world of code and music.

The programmer returned to the living room. Putting on his headphones, he started working on Mini Mosca's understanding of different speech patterns and alternate ways of uttering the same command.

* * *

When Spanner opened his eyes again, and glanced at the clock on his night stand, he knew that he had fallen asleep for about a half hour. Sitting up, he tried to flatten the little bit of bed hair he felt back onto his head, but gave up half-way in vain. His hair was so much like Shoichi's sometimes, it was almost comical, but unlike Shoichi, he used hair gel to flatten his unruly curls.

At the thought of his best friend, a wave of awkwardness washed over the young mechanic again. Pushing such thoughts aside, since he already had an explanation for his actions (and Shoichi's, now that he thought about it), the British teen made his way out into the living room where he saw Shoichi with his laptop connected to Mini Mosca, and his headphones covering his ears. Spanner swore he could hear rock music blasting from them.

"Really, Shoichi, you're going to ruin your hearing," Spanner mumbled to himself in concern as he made his way up to his oblivious friend. Sitting down next to him, the blonde-haired teen tapped his red-haired companion on the shoulder, effectively startling him. Letting out a soft chuckle at the weird face he saw Shoichi pull, Spanner tapped his ears to indicate that Shoichi should take his headphones off.

"Hey, what type of programming are you installing now?" He asked without any hint of awkwardness as Shoichi finally took his headphones off. In fact, Spanner didn't see a reason to feel awkward at all. What had happened between him and his friend was normal, considering the circumstances. And, in a strange way, he felt good that he had given such a wonderful massage. Maybe he should be a masseur on the side of his engineering career? Besides, Shoichi didn't know of his own little predicament during that time, so there was no reason to feel embarrassed in front of him. All was good and normal in his world.

* * *

When Spanner stayed away longer, Shoichi started to hope his friend really had just been tired. Maybe he hadn't realized what had happened? His fingers flew over the keyboard, tapping away strings of code. He really didn't want things to become awkward between him and his best friend.

Lost in his thoughts, he gave a jerk when he was suddenly touched. He hadn't realized Spanner was right next to him! Wide eyed, he looked up at the other one who was sitting on the couch, while he was on the ground. He could see the mechanic laughing, and felt relieved when he didn't see any sign of awkwardness in him.

He hurried to take off his headphones. "Hm?" Shoichi asked, but got what the other had asked him at that moment. "Oh, I'm just working on Mini Mosca's command recognition."

Spanner acted really natural, like nothing had happened, and Shoichi was just happy to do the same. "I want to get him so far, that he's able to pick out commands from natural speech."

Just a moment later, the mechanic joined him. They spent the rest of the afternoon, and the evening, tinkering and programming. Their only break was a little meal Shoichi insisted on.

Sometime late at night, the red-haired programmer stretched and yawned, "We should really head to bed. Tomorrow, classes start..." Also he needed to get up earlier for his newly implemented morning runs.

* * *

Hearing about Shoichi's progress, Spanner felt excited to join him and expand on his own work. The both of them worked late into the night then, with a small food break in-between. Shoichi was able to get his essential programming done, while Spanner was able to finish Mini Mosca's microwave, and add the compartment for the butter he and his friend had talked about. When the night reached its peak, and Shoichi was stretching and yawning, Spanner heeded his friend's advice and decided to head to bed himself, but only after he escorted Shoichi to bed. He didn't want a repeat of the last fiasco.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Hi there again. So, we got one review and we were happy about that and thank you once again for taking the time. So, as promised here's the second chapter. Since this is a collaborative work with my friend AdaraLove, she'll drop in here and have a few words for you every now and again:

_Hey guys, this is AdaraLove this time! I want to thank you for reviewing and for those that are lurkers lol. Please don't hesitate to review guys if you like the story so far, we really appreciate any reviews we get, even if they're just a few, simple words =) Still, we'll only need one review to continue posting this story. _

_For this chapter, things start to get testy, and drama starts to go down. There aren't too many warnings for this chapter, but it is rated T _

_I hope everyone enjoys the story and that you'll share your thoughts with Ethelwyn and me by reviewing! =D_

I really hope there are a few more Spanner/Shoichi fans out there and that you'll let us know, so that we have a reason to continue this.

* * *

**Chapter 2**

When morning came, Spanner quickly got dressed and went to go fix his bed-hair in the bathroom (he would take a shower later after classes), but as he left his bedroom, he saw his Japanese friend in the kitchenette; placing bowls of rice and fruit upon the counter. The young mechanic could feel how he was starting to salivate from the sight of the canned strawberries.

"That looks delicious, Shoichi," the blonde teen murmured as he approached the other. "I hope it wasn't too much trouble."

Completely forgetting about his crazy hair, Spanner quickly dug out his Star Wars chopsticks from the nearest drawer and brought his bowl of fruit and bowl of rice to the couch.

"Did you sleep normally?" Spanner asked through a mouthful of delectable rice as he sent a curious glance his friend's way.

* * *

Shoichi rose pretty early the next day and went for a run. It really helped to wake him up, once he was used to it. He stopped at a nice lawn, did some push-ups and sit-ups, and returned home. After a quick shower, the red-head started on their breakfast.

Just when the food was ready, Spanner showed up. "Impeccable timing," he said with a smile that almost became a chuckle when he saw his roomie's bed hair. At the inquiry, he shook his head. "No trouble at all. I'm happy to see you eating healthy food, actually. It's worth starting a little earlier."

While Spanner carried two bowls, Shoichi put the strawberries in his rice bowl and poured green tea and some honey on top before he followed.

He laughed softly, "Yeah, I actually slept in my bed and on my back. I feel fine. Thanks for caring." He inclined his head. "I hope you slept well, too."

Shoichi started to eat. He had a long day of classes ahead of him, but at least his advanced computer class would start today. This is where his class would get their introduction to the supercomputers, and their schedules when they were allowed to use them (other departments needed their time with the machines, too).

"Try to remember lunch. The miso stew will be waiting for you," Shoichi reminded his friend, who tended to forget about mere nourishment when hooked on a project by keeping his stomach from complaining with his suckers instead.

* * *

The young mechanic's eyes shone at the thought of the leftover miso stew.

"Mmm, how could I forget that?" Spanner murmured as he stuffed his mouth full of strawberries and swallowed. "I have a free period for lunch anyway, so I'll be sure to remember, Mum."

Giving his friend a joking wink, Spanner finished up his breakfast and went over to place his dishes in the dishwasher. From there, he went to the bathroom and quickly gelled his hair down before he went to his bedroom, grabbed his book bag, and bade Shoichi a good day as he left for classes.

Most of Spanner's morning classes went by rather quickly, but when he got to his robotics class, and his eyes fell upon a familiar looking girl, the young mechanic immediately remembered what he had told Shoichi the other day.

He was going to try and ask Mimi out.

With his stomach filling with jittery butterflies, Spanner made his way up to the pretty girl in question. She had glasses, and wore her medium length hair in a cute, sideways ponytail. She was also surrounded by some of her girlfriends, who were giggling when Spanner approached. He hated that noise. The British teen could never quite understand girls, especially when it came to their giggling. He had no idea if they were laughing at him, or getting excited.

"Um…Hi, Mimi…" the blonde teen stuttered out through his nerves.

The girl in question just gave him a mysterious, knowing smile.

"Hello, Spanner, or should I be calling you Ulysses?"

Spanner's eyes widened in astonishment at hearing a Japanese person pronounce his old name right (besides Shoichi, of course), while Mimi's gaggle of friends giggled around her.

"Um…Just, Spanner, please," the startled mechanic answered quickly. "My Gramps still can't remember that I changed my name to something more fitting."

Spanner rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. Why was talking to girls so damn hard?!

"I must say you have impeccable English skills, though. Not many people in this country can pronounce that name," Spanner continued as he tried to keep the flow of the conversation going to prevent more awkwardness.

Mimi just giggled at this, and thanked him for the compliment before she gave him an encouraging look to continue. Spanner couldn't help but feel a little unnerved by this. It was like Mimi already knew what he was trying to do!

"Well…um…speaking of my Gramps, I'm sorry if he freaked you out yesterday…"

"It's alright," the young girl quickly soothed. "I know what it's like for grandparents pushing their grandchildren into procreation. Mine do the same."

A light blush marred Spanner's creamy cheeks at the word, 'procreate', but he gathered his nerves to continue.

"Speaking of that—I mean, of grandparents pushing their grandchildren, not the procreation part—"

Another round of giggles met his flustered attempt at opening the topic of conversation he wanted to get to.

In complete and utter embarrassment, Spanner bowed his head humbly and finally said, "I've been thinking about this a lot ever since my Gramps started pushing the idea on me, but I was wondering…if…um…you'd like to go out with me?"

The foreign teen could feel his heart seize up in worry and anticipation as he waited on bated breath for Mimi's answer.

* * *

For Shoichi, the morning was quite eventless. The math-class was even pretty boring to him, so his thoughts wandered to Mini Mosca and every gadget he intended the little robot to have.

Since he hadn't any real friends at the school except for Spanner, and wasn't too keen on making any, the programmer tended to have his headphones on between classes. Listening to, "Blood and Peppers" quite loudly, he walked into the computer room where his advanced computer class was held.

Shoichi almost jumped half a meter high when somebody touched his shoulder out of the blue. Not only that, his eyes went wide at the face that came into view. A mob of wild, white hair framed a flawless face with strange violet eyes (and even stranger violet markings under the left eye). The eyes closed in an amused grin as a hand waved before his face and the lips moved.

Fumbling, Shoichi took off his headphones. "By-Byakuran! Wha-What are you doing here?!" The red-haired programmer was absolutely flustered at this unexpected meeting.

"Why, I'm waiting for class to begin, of course! But when I saw you, I just had to greet you Sho-chan! Isn't it nice that we're going to have this class together! I'm really looking forward to working with you!" Byakuran laughed and winked at him.

"Wo-Working with you?" Shoichi was absolutely dazed. Byakuran always had this overwhelming personality. Even after infiltrating the Millefiore, and remembering the atrocities Byakuran had committed in all the different parallel universes, he sometimes had felt himself succumb to the nice front the other projected.

"Of course, Sho-chan! There's no one else I'd rather work with. You are the best, and I'm not saying that to flatter you. Working with anyone else would just be a waste of time for me and for you as well, and you know it. Also, I've always liked you, Sho-chan. I'm a changed man, but not everyone seems to see that." At this Byakuran sighed theatrically. "But you're smart and you've always had an open mind. You're different than the rest. You're fair. You'll give me a chance to prove I'm not that guy anymore. Tsunayoshi-kun has accepted it."

Shoichi just blinked for a moment, trying to absorb all the information dropped on him, and trying to read between the lines. No matter what he said to the contrary, Byakuran tried to butter him up, but not with the programming part; he was playing on his softheartedness! But even though he saw right through it, Shoichi did feel a bit flattered. Yes, he liked to think that he was open minded enough to give people a second chance.

During the Arcobaleno Trials, Byakuran had proved that he had changed. It was true that Tsuna trusted him at least enough to let him run free. If Tsuna trusted him, he could, too, right? The Vongola's hyper intuition would have warned him if Byakuran really was still a menace to society.

"Well...o-okay. I guess we can team up for this class," Shoichi answered carefully.

"Haha, I knew you would say that. You really are the best, Sho-chan." A plastic bag popped up between them. "Marshmellow?" Byakuran asked with his trademark, closed eyed grin.

* * *

Mimi made little humming noises of thought as she pondered over Spanner's question. Said mechanic shifted uncomfortable as he waited for her answer.

With another set of giggles from her friends, Mimi seemed to have come to a decision, because a seductive smirk appeared on her face. Spanner had no idea what to make of it.

"Well, I won't give you an answer quite yet, Spanner," the brown-haired girl murmured sweetly as a plan seemed to form behind her eyes. "How about you take me out to eat during lunch? We have the same hours free, don't we?"

Spanner wasn't sure what to think in that moment. To him, it sounded like Mimi just wanted to get a free meal out of him and toy with his feelings. And how did she know about his schedule already?

The engineering girl must have seen how dubious he looked, because she quickly added, "Oh, well, I'm just using the lunch to test and see if you're the one that's really interested in me. Your grandfather was constantly suggesting that we should hook up, so I just want to make sure this was your decision, and not just to please your grandfather."

"Oh…" Spanner let out in a single breath of understanding. "I guess that makes sense. Where do you want to go?"

After their lunch-date place was set (it was at a nearby café), Spanner went to go take his seat before class started. It was then that he remembered he'd told Shoichi he'd eat that miso stew. Feeling a little guilty that he had to break that little promise (but it wasn't too much of a big deal. He'd just eat it later), Spanner tried to focus as his robotics class started.

When the time for the lunch date came upon him, Spanner nervously escorted Mimi to the café for a quiet meal. During that time, they shared their interests and the projects they had created for themselves. It was here that Spanner learned that Mimi was entering the robotics competition with her roommate, too. When the lunch ended, Mimi finally stated that she would like to go out with him, and then he walked her to her next class. It almost felt surreal to the British teen. He would have never thought he would get a girlfriend! But even though he had one now, Spanner was at a complete loss on what to do. He had no idea what he was supposed to do with a girlfriend. Did that mean he had to take her on fancy dinner dates, and movie outings all the time?

Sighing to himself, Spanner just went about the rest of his day. He liked Mimi. She was cute, and they shared the same interests, but the blonde mechanic couldn't stop thinking about how it felt a little off to be around her. Maybe it had to do with the fact that he'd hardly talked to a girl in his entire life? But whatever it was, Spanner felt a little insecure about the future. The thought of being with Mimi had been good initially, but now…it just felt weird for some reason.

Shaking his head, Spanner just accounted it to first girlfriend jitters. He was just nervous, that's all.

* * *

It took Byakuran about five minutes to tear down any protective walls Shoichi tried to erect. The white-haired young man was just disarming with his easy nature. He inquired after the other programmer's family, which flattered Shoichi, because it meant Byakuran actually had listened to him in their old future, and cared enough to remember.

In return, the red-head asked about Uni, Gamma, and the other members of the Millefiore Family.

"They are all fine. Gamma still doesn't trust me, though. Hihi," Byakuran grinned. He didn't seem too phased by this distrust at all. "He's just jealous, because Uni-chan loves me the most!" He laughed at his own joke.

Shoichi couldn't help but feel at ease around the younger man. Without the power hungry, psychotic side to him, Byakuran really was nice and funny company. That was the reason it had been so easy to become friends with the other one in the first place when he had wiped out his own memory of the committed atrocities for a time. In terms of intellect, they were on the same level, and to quite some extent, their opinions and interests overlapped.

"You will never have any chance at Uni's heart while Gamma is around, and you know it..." Shoichi stopped midway in his sentence as the old habit of calling the other his superior wanted to pop up. He consciously willed himself to change that, opting for the familiar suffix, "…Byakuran-kun." They were equals now. Actually, Shoichi realized he was the older one, and in the higher class. The advanced computer class was a mixed age group class for students that showed especial fortitude in the field. He didn't want to let the white haired teen feel any superiority over him; not of his own accord anyway.

There was a smile and a nod in show of respect from Byakuran, "Hihi, you are so right, Sho-chan! That stupid Gamma has somehow captured sweet, little Uni-chan's heart. Her loss, I say." Once again he flashed his trademark, closed-eyed grin. "And you have definitely grown and gained quite some confidence. Good for you, Sho-chan!"

Shoichi couldn't help but blush at this compliment, but he guessed the other was right. He had grown thanks to the trials he had to go through in their alternate future.

The ice was broken between the two, and they were talking softly through almost their whole class. When the teams were chosen for the projects, there was no longer any doubt in Shoichi's mind when he declared he would work with Byakuran. The young programmer even told him that he planned to use the time they got to work with the supercomputer to work on a private project.

This turned out even better than he thought, since Byakuran promised he'd help work faster on their assignments, so that Shoichi's private time on the supercomputer could be maxed out.

Shoichi actually wore a smile when they finally had to part ways after the class. He had had a much nicer time than he would have guessed with the younger man.

Since he had used the lunchtime break to get some books from the library, and had just munched on a sesame snack bar, he was pretty hungry when he finally got home. With a deep sigh, he realized Spanner hadn't eaten one spoonful of the leftover miso stew.

"That guy…he'll die of a sugar-shock someday..."

Shaking his head, Shoichi heated up the stew. When it was warm enough, he filled himself a large bowl, went to the couch, and ate while watching some music television.

* * *

By the time that Spanner got back to his shared apartment with Shoichi, he was a bit hungry. So when he entered and saw his best friend on the couch watching TV, he also noticed the bowl in the other's hands, and how the left over stew was heated and sitting out.

"Oh, I see you already warmed up the stew. Thanks," the young mechanic sighed happily as he placed his bag in his room and then went over to grab a bowl himself. After heating his bowl in the microwave for another minute, he grabbed it and went over to sit beside his friend. As he put a bit of the stew in his mouth, he glanced the red-head's way and noticed there was something a little different about him.

Ever the curious one, Spanner quickly swallowed his food and asked, "So what's up, Shoichi? You seem happier than from what I saw this morning."

* * *

The red-haired programmer sent a sidelong glance his roommate's way. "You broke your promise and didn't eat a decent meal for lunch, _**Ulysses**_." Since he knew Spanner really didn't like his given name, and had changed it legally for exactly that reason, he usually didn't use it; except to scold the other one.

But as the mechanic was eating the miso stew now, Shoichi couldn't stay piqued for too long. His smile broke through again.

"You won't believe whom I met in my computer class. Byakuran is new to our school and has joined the advanced course. We're even partners now for the projects."

Shoichi was actually looking forward to working with the white haired programmer, and it shone through.

"He even promised to help me work faster on our assignments, so that I can use the supercomputer as much as possible for working on Mini Mosca's programing," he announced proudly.

* * *

Wincing at the sound of his given name, Spanner gave an unappreciative glance Shoichi's way as he stood up for himself.

"Sorry that I didn't eat the stew for lunch," Spanner apologized with a slight note of irritation. "But Mimi suggested that I take her out to eat today, so that she could monitor me and make sure I really was attracted to her or something. So basically, I went on a last minute lunch-date with her."

After giving his explanation, the young mechanic's blue eyes widened in surprise at the words that came out of his friend's mouth. Byakuran was in their school now? Spanner wasn't sure how to think about that. On the one hand, it sounded like he was getting along with Shoichi, but on the other hand, it sounded way too good to be true. He knew that Byakuran had changed a bit from their alternate future, but, to what extent, continued to be a mystery for the young Brit.

"Ah…" was Spanner's only form of answer as uncertainty and worry took hold of him. No matter what he did, his gut was telling him that there had to be some sort of catch. Byakuran had hardly conversed with them in this day and age. Sure, they had seen him during the Arcobaleno Representative Battles, but they didn't talk too much. After that, the white clown (Spanner had always called him that) hadn't even bothered to stay in touch with Shoichi (who was waaaay closer to Byakuran than Spanner was. They were more like acquaintances). So…why now? Why was he attending their school all of a sudden, and why was he buttering up to Shoichi so fast like they were the best of friends?

Either way, Spanner couldn't stop the uncomfortable clenching and turning in his stomach.

* * *

The irritation in the young mechanics answer didn't escape Shoichi. He held up his hands in a placating manner. "I'm sorry. I just thought you didn't eat again." Still, the news about Mimi stung a bit. So they already had had their first date...

Spanner's reaction to his news about Byakuran was pretty unspectacular. Sure, his friend wasn't one to talk like a waterfall, but this reaction was even less than what Shoichi had suspected. He glanced sideways at the blonde mechanic. Maybe his thoughts were on his date.

Although he wasn't too sure he really wanted to hear it, the programmer just had to ask. "So, how was it? Were you able to reassure her?"

There was a small, very jealous part of Shoichi that really hoped the rendezvous went horribly bad, and that Spanner would never have a shot at the girl again, but as calm as the other one was, it didn't seem likely.

Shoichi pushed his glasses up on his nose and looked at his bowl. It was easier to hide any facial reaction this way as he awaited the answer he didn't want to hear.

* * *

Hearing the random question about Mimi surprised Spanner so much that he didn't speak for a while. After blinking at Shoichi a couple of times, the blonde teen finally gathered his wits about him to answer.

"Oh…yeah…yeah, I was able to convince her," Spanner finally stated with an uncaring attitude (his thoughts were still focused on the thought that Byakuran was pushing himself into Shoichi's life again). "We're going out now. It's kind of weird having a girlfriend all of a sudden, but I guess I'll get used to it rather soon."

After taking a bite of stew, and finding his appetite dwindling severely as the time went on, Spanner couldn't hold back the question that he had been aching to ask for a while now.

"So…are you really looking forward to working with Byakuran?" The disgruntled mechanic asked as he shot Shoichi a meaningful sideways glance. "Doesn't it seem weird that he's trying to force himself into your life all of a sudden? I mean…he's not the most trustworthy bloke in the world, after all."

* * *

As the silence stretched between them, Shoichi couldn't help but look up from his food again. Had Spanner not heard his question? Just then, the thing that he had tried to avoid happened. He got his answer while he looked at the other.

Spanner stated it, like it was the most common, natural thing to have happened. He broke Shoichi's heart in the most calm, uncaring manner possible. Girlfriend. His secret love was lost to him forever. He had a girlfriend now; just like that.

The red-head had to bite back a pitiful groan as his stomach churned, and hundreds of needles seemed to stab his insides. He dropped the chopsticks that had been heading towards his mouth back into the bowl. All appetite was lost because of the pain in his stomach as well as his heart.

Swallowing the rising bile, Shoichi used his chance to look away and nod, "Oh yes, I am." He felt the glance of his roomy, but didn't move to meet it. Hearing the criticism in the other's voice suddenly made the young programmer mad.

Spanner had absolutely no right to talk about Byakuran the way he did. He hadn't met him! And what did he care anyway? He had a girlfriend now. Spanner wouldn't have much time for him anymore. Did he want him sitting here, waiting, and pining for his return? Never! Shoichi wasn't such a pitiful loser. There was someone out there who _**wanted**_ to spend time with him!

He ignored his own first misgivings about the white-haired programmer and former psychotic genocidal killer, so why couldn't Spanner? "Why would that be weird? We were friends before. He did go off on the wrong tangent at a point in time, but that future is over and done with. He has changed, but he remembers how much we have in common. And since others seem to think just like you, he can use a friend." There was a very defiant undertone in his voice.

* * *

Spanner wasn't sure on what to think. Shoichi's attitude changed the moment he explained his relationship with Mimi, but he got downright defiant about his question towards Byakuran's trustworthiness, too. Just why was he so angry? Why was he getting so worked up over this? The young mechanic was just worried about his friend; that was it. What was wrong with that?

How did this pleasant evening turn sour so quickly?

Hurt, and taken aback by the tone in his roommate's voice, Spanner sent the defiant Shoichi a worried glance.

"Okay, calm down, Shoichi," Spanner spoke as soothingly as possible. "Don't get your knickers in a twist again. I do admit that Byakuran has seemed to clean up his act concerning taking over the world in this timeline. After all, it would be a pretty stupid move to do on his part, since the young Vongola is stronger than Byakuran has ever had to deal with. But that still doesn't change his true personality, Shoichi."

Grabbing his red-haired companion's shoulders to make sure the other looked at him, Spanner stared straight into his dark green eyes with pure concern.

"From my experience, Shoichi, in this life, and in the memories of my future, I've seen how Byakuran acts. He treats most things like a game, and he's a smooth talker. I'm just worried that he'll use you again like in our old future…"

* * *

Shoichi huffed. He hated this expression Spanner seemed so fond of. He might be easily worked up about things and a worrier, but that had absolutely nothing to do with the state of his boxers!

When he was grabbed, he resisted for a second before he let himself get turned, but he still remained very stiff.

"I never let myself get used. Don't underestimate me. I found a way to get close to Byakuran, and work against him right under his nose." Yes, Byakuran had found him out eventually, and had had contingency plans, but still, he had never become a mere pawn in the other's games.

"You don't know him, that's all. He's a genius. Without the right stimulus, they just get bored, and bad things can happen. I intend to keep him busy. He's changed, but he needs someone to believe in him. All he needs is a second chance, and I, at least, intend to give it to him."

Shoichi extricated himself from Spanner's grip and put his bowl on a small free spot on the table. All appetite was gone. His stomach was still churning and stinging.

"I didn't think you were the kind to hold grudges, and that you were open minded enough to give people a second chance. Byakuran had a hard time of it these last years. Even in his own Family, some still don't trust him. How is he supposed to work against that?" Shoichi looked questioningly at his roommate. "And just so you know, Byakuran even asked about you and if you're doing well."

At this moment, the programmer had an idea about how Byakuran must have felt with Gamma and the others not trusting him. At least he would try to be a good friend to him. He would have enough time on his hands now, it seemed.

* * *

Spanner stayed stonily silent as he heard Shoichi's excuses for Byakuran's background. In truth, he didn't know what to believe. His gut was telling him not to trust Byakuran and his silky smooth words of redemption and care, but his mind was telling him that maybe Byakuran had turned over a new leaf. Maybe he really was struggling to make up for his mistakes, and he just wanted to make friends? But then, the knowledge from the young mechanic's old future would pop up and disrupt those previous thoughts. Byakuran had proved meticulous and conniving in every timeline. Shoichi had even researched the fact that Byakuran, in every one of his billions of incarnations in those timelines, had taken over the world in his boredom. Didn't that prove that even though he was trying to turn over a new leaf that his personality would be the same? Byakuran was like a chess master; playing with his pawns for his greater amusement.

Okay, true, Shoichi had never fallen totally into Byakuran's control. Spanner knew that he should have at least given his friend that credit, but that still didn't change the fact that Byakuran had tried to use his best friend for his own purposes.

And, with another wave of bitterness, Spanner remembered how it was because of Shoichi's position as one of Byakuran's Mare Ring holders (even though it was fake), and as the leader of the Japanese Millefiore Base, that he had to keep up appearances. Because of that, Shoichi hardly had the time to talk with Spanner about things other than work. And when it came down to protecting his image as a fearless leader in order to mislead the young Vongola, he had easily issued the order for Iris to kill Spanner for his treason. It was because of Byakuran that Shoichi had to force himself to issue that order, and it was also because of Byakuran that he had almost lost Shoichi during the Choice Battle. How could he not hold a slight grudge and have his misgivings? How could he not worry about Shoichi?

But it seemed that no matter what he said, Shoichi's stubbornness was going to get the better of him. Spanner could only nod silently at his friend's last words, not truly believing the, 'good' intentions behind them from Byakuran, but hoping beyond hope that Shoichi was actually right, and that Byakuran wouldn't hurt him again.

The two of them parted ways in silence that night, neither of them finishing their food due to lack of hunger. The rest of the night, Spanner tried to distract himself with homework from his other classes. He wanted to work on Mini Mosca, but he feared for the awkwardness that would spring forth if he tried to work on the little robot and Shoichi was there inputting programming. Hopefully, when the morning came, this whole thing would blow over, and he and Shoichi could go back to their old, friendly ways and work together again. Spanner was used to them having little squabbles over cleanliness and healthy eating habits, but he had never had a verbal dispute over something this serious before; not in this timeline anyway.

Spanner just really hoped that Byakuran wouldn't take advantage of Shoichi…He really did.

* * *

His best friend never really answered him. It was the first time they were truly at odds with each other, and it felt bad. Just like Spanner hid in his room, so did Shoichi. His stomach was giving him trouble that whole night.

Was it really so bad to try and give Byakuran a second chance? Shoichi knew only too well that the charismatic, white-haired man was a smooth talker and could seduce just about anybody into doing anything he wanted, but he had never been truly fooled by him. And he didn't intend to get fooled this time. No, he really believed Byakuran, but he would still be on his toes.

Committing his thoughts to this topic, Shoichi tried to keep the pain at bay at knowing Spanner and Mimi were together now. She had destroyed any chance he might have had (even though he never had believed in a chance in the first place) at Spanner feeling more for him than just friendship. But not only that, she would be taking away his best friend, too; demanding that he committed his rare, spare time to her.

He had a right to choose his own friends. Just because Spanner didn't like Byakuran, didn't mean he had to feel the same way. Also, Byakuran was right. He was the best partner for his computer class. There was no one better. Why should he have to give up working with him and forsake getting the best grade possible? He was sure he was even able to profit from the other one's vast knowledge. Also, Shoichi believed he might need a good friend very soon.

What little sleep his stomach cramps allowed for was marred by nightmares as his brain just didn't find any rest and tried to work out his troubles in its own way. Bleary eyed and incredibly tired, he got up to face the next day. Shoichi skipped his exercises, as he felt just too weak and tired. Instead, he made breakfast.

To cheer himself up, and as a peace offering to Spanner, too, he made some pancakes. It wouldn't do to drive his friend even further away by acting all bitter and sullen. In his own way, Spanner even meant good; although he was going about it the absolute wrong way. Shoichi decided to just not talk about Byakuran anymore when he was around his roommate. That should keep them from quarreling about the topic.

To make Spanner even happier, he got out the strawberries he had bought yesterday. He had forgotten about them because of their fight. After making some coffee too, he softly knocked at Spanner's door and reheated the pancakes for a few seconds in the microwave.

* * *

Hearing the knock upon his door, Spanner awoke with a start. Yawning, he got up and got dressed for school that day. It wasn't until he was slipping on a new t-shirt that he remembered what the previous night had entailed for him and his roommate. Wondering if Shoichi wanted to talk things out, so that they could apologize for whatever ill feelings they still held, Spanner made his way out towards the living room.

To the young mechanic's surprise, he saw what awaited him in the kitchen. There, on a plate, were a couple of warm pancakes and a bowl of strawberries. Unconsciously licking his lips at the delicious aroma that wafted his way, the blonde teen made his way up to the food as if he was mesmerized.

"This looks so delicious," Spanner murmured out in awe as he imagined the combined taste of strawberries and pancakes. "You did this for me, Shoichi?"

Glancing his best friend's way, the British teen sent his red-haired friend a look of thanks as he realized it was Shoichi's way of saying he was sorry. Quickly grabbing some of the strawberries and placing them on the side of his plate, Spanner took hold of the maple syrup bottle nearby and smothered the whole plate in the gooey sugar. Today's breakfast was going to be beyond epic for his taste buds.

"Sorry for the way I acted last night," the young robotics expert spoke up again as he rubbed the back of his head after he placed down the syrup bottle and peered into Shoichi's eyes again. "I was just being a bit overprotective. I know you're more than capable of looking out for yourself, Shoichi, I was just concerned that Byakuran would take advantage of your kindness again…"

Spanner knew he had to give Byakuran a second chance just like Shoichi, but it just felt harder for him, because the white-haired man had done nothing to prove his trustworthiness to him. It was hard to trust someone, who was known for doing horrible things, when you hardly got to see or interact with them. How could Spanner fully believe that Byakuran had turned over a new leaf if he hardly saw him? He knew that he had to just have faith in his friend, and hope that Byakuran didn't have any other intentions.

* * *

Shoichi allowed himself a small smile when he saw his roommate lick his lips.

"For the both of us," he clarified, although the strawberries really were just for Spanner. While Spanner seemed to squeeze half the bottle of syrup on the pancakes, Shoichi let a piece of butter melt on them first before he dribbled some syrup over them, too.

He pushed the coffee cup over to Spanner. "It's okay. I...I know you meant well. Maybe I...overreacted a bit." He met Spanner's beautiful blue eyes. "I promise I'll be careful." It's what he intended anyway, so he could make that promise, at least.

"Eat up before they get cold." He nodded to the plate and the pancakes.

They both dug in, and the tension between them ceased. The first two classes they shared, so they went together. By the second class, physics, they were relaxed around each other again; even joking around a bit during class.

Even though Mimi tried to occupy Spanner's time, they only went out for two dates that week, the rest of his spare time he spent with Shoichi working on getting Mini Mosca to operate. While the mechanic was out, the red-head kept on programming.

Just as Byakuran had promised, he helped Shoichi get their assignments done fast, so that the rest of their time he could use the supercomputer to create the problem solving algorithms he wanted Mini Mosca to have. When he explained his ideas to Byakuran, the white-haired genius seemed impressed, and offered a few pointers that really helped Shoichi find shortcuts and easier ways for the program.

The whole of Saturday, Spanner and Shoichi worked on the little robot; Spanner installing the tubes, valves, and nozzles for the dispensers they wanted Mini Mosca to have, while Shoichi still programmed the language skills. Only in the evening, Spanner left for a date with Mimi again.

All the time the other one was gone, the programmer made the new gadgets work, and installed the commands to use them. Their newest implement, besides the dispensers, were vacuum cleaner nozzles in Mini Mosca's feet and also in one of his fingers. No more cleaning the floor by themselves!

It was pretty late that night when Shoichi got done. He wanted to surprise Spanner with a fully functional Mini Mosca, but his roommate still wasn't home. Exhausted, the red-haired programmer fell asleep on the ground with his back supported by the couch; head bent back, leaning against it, and snoring. His hands were still on the keyboard, like he would start to write code again any moment.

* * *

The next week went by in a blur for Spanner as classes, his conjoined project with Shoichi, and his dates with Mimi took up all of his time. Spanner was happy that Shoichi and him were no longer fighting, and that Byakuran seemed to only get involved with Shoichi when it came down to doing projects for their advanced computer class. The young mechanic knew it was probably a bad thing to think about, but the less that Byakuran was around Shoichi, the better and less worried Spanner felt. It amazed him how he could never stop worrying whenever Shoichi said he was going to work on a project with Byakuran, and it even affected his concentration when he went on dates with Mimi.

Speaking of the girl, Spanner found himself enjoying their little outings. It was interesting having a girl to hang around with now. They usually went to movies and ate at restaurants, which was depressing, money wise, but they were fun and interesting dates nonetheless. Mimi was a very interesting and smart girl, and Spanner enjoyed his time with her whenever they had it for each other. They would even joke about how their robots would beat each other's in the robot competition near the end of the year.

Even though Spanner had left for the evening to go on his date with Mimi, his mind was filled with the project he and Shoichi were doing just moments prior. Mini Mosca was so close to fully understanding simple commands! Spanner wanted nothing more than to turn him on and try them out (especially since his room was in dire need of cleaning. It was a good thing Shoichi hadn't noticed yet). Due to his distraction, Mimi was a little cross with him, but understood why his mind was somewhere else.

At the end of their date, Spanner walked her home, and to his surprise, Mimi ended their date with a little kiss to his cheek. The British teen didn't know what to think when those lips, covered in sparkly pink lipstick, met his skin, but it sure as hell surprised him.

Blushing slightly at the intimate gesture, he bade Mimi goodbye without doing the gesture in return, and walked down to his apartment door in nervous wonder. The kiss was one of the strangest things he had ever experienced, and he didn't know if the twisting in his gut was a good or bad thing.

Opening the door to his apartment, Mimi's kiss immediately left his mind as he saw Shoichi asleep on the ground with his back resting against the couch, and his head upon one of the cushions. Sighing at the familiar sight with a slight smile, Spanner made his way over to Shoichi and tried to shake him awake. Unsurprisingly, his red-haired friend continued to snore away peacefully.

Knowing that the other's programming program was up on his computer, Spanner was excited to see the progress his roommate had made in his absence. Since he didn't want to exit out of the program to turn on music again, the young mechanic had no other choice but to provide Shoichi with another Wet Willy.

* * *

"Waaaaaaaaaaaaaah, YUCK!" Shoichi was instantly awake at the disgustingly wet, cold feeling. "I hate that!"

As soon as the hand of his roommate was gone, he rubbed his ear. His mouth and throat felt dry, and he realized he must have slept with his head back and mouth open again; he probably snored quite loudly, too.

After rubbing his ear to get that disgusting feeling off, he rubbed his face, too. With a yawn, he calmed down again. "I'm glad you're back. I've waited for your return," he said, and finally really looked at his friend.

It was a hot blade that stabbed his stomach. Sparkly, pink lipstick glittered on Spanner's cheek. A parting gift of Mimi's, no doubt. It hurt like hell. Had it only been Spanner's cheek? Shoichi doubted it. It was way more probable that that was the only spot he had forgot to remove it from.

His hand went up to correct the position of his glasses, hiding the short display of hurt fury on Shoichi's face. He knew he had no right to feel that way, but still, he did. The familiar gesture of straightening his glasses helped to at least display a composed expression.

"Mini Mosca is ready. There's still a ways to go until he's as far as we want him to be, but he's in working order now. I wanted you to do the honors."

Changing his position to sit on his knees, Shoichi bent over the little robot and removed the cables that still connected his computer to Mini Mosca.

"Now."

* * *

Seeing Shoichi's immediate reaction to the Wet Willy never got old. Trying to suppress a chuckle of amusement, so that his friend wouldn't yell at him, Spanner just sat back and listened to what his roommate had to say about their project. But, no matter how he listened or scrutinized the other, something just seemed off about Shoichi. Was he tired? Usually he'd be super excited about making such progress with Mini Mosca. Spanner felt honored that Shoichi was returning the courtesy by letting him do the honors of trying out their gadgets, but it felt like the fun was being sucked out of it by Shoichi's despondent attitude.

Seeing his friend avoid eye contact as he talked and as he sat on his knees to unplug their robot from his computer, the worry in Spanner's gut continued to grow.

"Is something wrong, Shoichi?" The concerned teen questioned as he stayed in his seated position by his friend. As much as he wanted to turn on Mini Mosca and try him out, it felt wrong if Shoichi wasn't as thrilled as he was. "I thought you'd be more excited about this."

* * *

'_You're coming back home with that person's lipstick on your cheek, that's what's way wrong!' _At least, that was what the red-headed programmer thought. He could not say it out loud. He'd have to explain why that was painful, and he could never do that.

He shook his head with a forced smile. "Nothing, just still tired, I guess," Shoichi lied. "I am. I totally am excited to see if everything works out." With a yawn, he tried to present proof that he really was just sleepy. "Go ahead and turn him on. I want to see if Mini Mosca will understand your commands and follow them." The young programmer managed to sound a bit more enthusiastic now that he really tried.

Shoichi hated the feeling that a part of that girl was in the room with them, and he hated even more the images that came to mind on how that lipstick had found its way onto Spanner's cheek, and also, where other spots could have been that had already been wiped away. But no matter how hard he tried, he still saw the images.

They destroyed any excitement and joy he had felt at surprising his best friend. He knew it shouldn't be this way. One week should have been enough to get used to it. Spanner was a guy, and it was just normal that he had found himself a girl. Shoichi had to let go of his secret dreams and fantasies, he knew that, but knowledge just wasn't any help when it came to feelings. They just seemed to have a mind of their own.

* * *

"Oh, I see," Spanner let out with a soft smile as he ruffled Shoichi's hair. "Well, wake up Sleeping Beauty; we have a robot to perfect."

Chuckling at his slight joke, Spanner got up and went to the kitchenette to grab a few bowls. In order to test out Mini Mosca's condiments, it would probably be best to use bowls so that they wouldn't make a mess on the floor. Mini Mosca might have had vacuum nozzles, but they weren't the best for cleaning up liquid messes.

"Alright, here it goes," the young mechanic muttered with excitement as he reached around the robot's back and turned him on. Mini Mosca immediately whirred to life and stayed silent as he awaited his first command. Since Spanner had already tried out the little robot's extinguisher at an earlier date, he decided to test out the butter first.

"Heat butter," Spanner commanded as he prepared a bowl and presented it to Mini Mosca. The little robot beeped in consent as he lifted his hand to show that he was preparing the butter at the command. When the butter was supposedly melted, Mini Mosca let out another beep.

"Alright, pour butter," and at Spanner's next command, Mini Mosca took in the sight of the bowl below his hand, opened the tip of his finger up, and poured the melted butter into the bowl.

A smile of triumph crossed the British teen's face as he glanced to the side to bestow Shoichi with a look of excitement.

"Well, that's one compartment down. Hopefully, we're on a roll."

* * *

Spanner believed his ruse and didn't question him. That, at least, was good. Shoichi gave a little smile at the joke, but couldn't enjoy the ruffling of his hair, which he usually did.

He watched as his friend turned on the little robot. Immediately, he came alive and just eagerly awaited his commands. The first trial went perfectly.

"Yeah, this does look good," Shoichi couldn't help but smile proudly now. All their hard work was worth it. To see that little robot able to do these mundane, but wonderful, things was incredibly satisfying. "Mini Mosca, pour soy sauce."

The robot's finger position changed, and he stretched his middle finger. Soy sauce started pouring forth in a small stream.

"Stop soy sauce." In an instant, the stream stopped. "Very good! You did very good, Mini Mosca!"

Shoichi really got excited now. For the moment, his resentment was forgotten as he watched in awe how their robot was reacting to the commands and following them in the correct way. Even though they had worked hard to achieve this, it still was a small wonder to the young programmer to see it all work out before his eyes. Mini Mosca was a small wonder. No one would be able to beat him at the robotics competition, of this he was sure.

A small part of him felt gratified at the knowledge that Mimi had no chance with whatever she was coming up with.

"He's incredible," Shoichi said softly, his eyes sparkling in wonder and proud satisfaction.

* * *

"He sure is," Spanner agreed as he brought out more bowls to test the rest of the condiments. The smile on his face grew gradually bigger with each success; the compartments for syrup, chocolate sauce, and teriyaki working amazingly well.

"We're almost in the home stretch, Shoichi," the young mechanic encouraged with an excited smile. "How about we test out his microwave next? That will be the most difficult thing for him to process and act out."

Grabbing a bag of popcorn from their kitchenette, Spanner made his way back to Mini Mosca and offered the package to him.

"Microwave popcorn," the blonde teen commanded.

In the next moment, Mini Mosca grabbed the bag of popcorn as the door in his chest cavity popped open on its own. Placing the bag inside, the door automatically closed back up after the action. After that, the little robot stood at attention as his pre-programmed time for popcorn initiated.

* * *

"Oh yeah, we should," Shoichi confirmed enthusiastically. Mini Mosca was doing really good. Everything was working well.

Spanner fetched the microwavable bag and the little robot took it; the program running smoothly. Seconds later, the popping started in the robot's belly. At a predetermined time, he stopped the microwave and took the bag from it. Mini Mosca was even programmed to open the bag, as Shoichi had burned himself a few times with the steam wafting forth just because he couldn't wait.

"Heat butter," he told the little robot and rubbed his hands.

With a happy smile, Shoichi finally looked at Spanner, but only for the smile to falter when he saw the lipstick again. It was threatening to destroy the fun he had started to get back, so he looked away, concentrating on the one that was making him happy. The little robot had just poured the freshly melted butter over the popcorn.

Shoichi took the bag of buttered popcorn from Mini Mosca. Tasting the first piece, he moaned, "Aah, Mini Mosca, you're a real chef!"

* * *

Seeing their precious robot cook the popcorn to perfection set Spanner at an all-time high, and when he heard Shoichi comment on how delicious the food tasted, the young mechanic was dying to try as well.

"Really?" The blonde teen questioned as he placed his hand in the bag and brought out a bit of popcorn. Popping some of the puffed up kernels into his mouth, Spanner also moaned at the delicious taste. Mini Mosca had microwaved the popcorn to perfection, and had also poured just the right amount of butter.

As the young British man stared down at the popcorn left in his hand, another idea came to him; even though he felt a bit reluctant at wasting such good popcorn.

"Hey, Shoichi, do you think we can try out the vacuum nozzles next?" Spanner asked just to make sure that Shoichi would allow him to tarnish the floor with popcorn. His older friend could be so picky about cleanliness. "I was thinking of dropping some popcorn on the floor for Mini Mosca to clean up."

* * *

"Yes," Shoichi held the bag out a bit to the other one and Spanner dug in. Even though his friend didn't say anything, he moaned his appreciation. "See?"

The young programmer took a few more pieces from the bag and munched on them. He felt his roommate's gaze on him and had to look up again when the other one asked. He tried to concentrate on Spanner's eyes and not think about that lipstick mark.

"Well, yeah, we could do that..." It took a short moment for Shoichi to realize what his friend meant to do. He groaned. "Naaah, Spanner! That stuff is buttered now! Why didn't you think of that before...?" His voice was a resigned whine in the end.

Closing his eyes in order to not have to watch the disaster unfold, he opened his hand that held the popcorn kernels, and dropped them onto the floor.

* * *

Spanner sighed and rolled his eyes at Shoichi's whine.

"Well, sorry, Guv, I'll try to think faster next time," the British teen muttered sarcastically as he feigned a bow towards, 'His Majesty of the Clean Floor'.

His slight irritation with the other waned, though, when he saw his red-haired friend drop a few kernels onto the ground. Seeing the offer, Spanner quickly commanded, "Mini Mosca, vacuum up mess."

With a whir at the given command, the little robot scanned for anomalies in the surrounding area considered to be messy. Upon seeing, and recognizing the mess before him, Mini Mosca pushed two vacuum cleaner nozzles out of the spaces between the caterpillar belts on his feet. After initiating suction, the small robot moved forward and sucked up all the popcorn on the floor. Spanner was just about to congratulate Mini Mosca on a good job, but he was met with a little surprise before he could.

Before Spanner could even speak, Mini Mosca brought the two vacuum nozzles back into his foot compartments and brought the hand that didn't contain the condiments, the one that had the fire extinguisher installed, forward. With the little robot's pointer finger pointing straight towards Spanner's face, the finger opened up and a vacuum hose grew out of it. In the blink of an eye, the hose was immediately connected to the kiss mark on Spanner's cheek.

The young mechanic could only blink in confusion as the suction sucked a part of his cheek into the tube, but once he got his wits about him again, he quickly wrapped his hands around the hose and tried to pull it off.

"What the bloody—Shoichi, I think we have a malfunction on our hands here," Spanner called out as best as he could with a portion of his mouth being sucked into a vacuum hose. "Vacuum off!"

But since Spanner's words weren't clear-cut sounding, Mini Mosca couldn't understand his command, and continued to try and clean the smear of lipstick from his face.

"Shoichi, a little help here, mate!" Spanner called out again as he tried in vain to pull the suction tube off his face.

* * *

At Spanner's command, Mini Mosca started up his vacuum cleaning mode. It worked pretty well; the kernels were sucked away, and the floor was almost clean again, except for the slight gleam of buttery fat.

Before Shoichi could decide whether to clean it up right now or after their experiments, something totally unexpected happened. For some inexplicable reason, Mini Mosca had decided the lipstick mark was a mess that needed to be cleaned, too. The little robot's nozzle attached itself to his friend's cheek and tried with all its might to suck off the smear.

It looked absolutely ridiculous, but Shoichi loved it. It was like a dream he had never even had, had come true now. Mini Mosca seemed to feel just as affronted by that blotch as he was, and his little buddy was doing something about it. It was an incredibly sweet form of revenge Shoichi enjoyed to watch.

Spanner tried to get the nozzle off his cheek, but they had made the vacuum part pretty strong for a powerful cleaning mechanism. Shoichi had to try hard not to laugh out loud as the other one shouted at Mini Mosca to stop. His speech was so off, the little robot just didn't understand.

Even when Spanner demanded his help, the red-haired programmer felt only slightly moved to do so. It was just too funny and satisfying. "Huh?" he asked, like he didn't understand, lengthening the experience another few seconds.

He looked once more before he decided he had to take action. "Mini Mosca, stop vacuum," Shoichi finally said. "He just tried to do his job, you know?" he explained with a little smile.

* * *

To Spanner's indignation, his friend seemed to be in no rush to help him. This was payback for all of those Wet Willies, wasn't?

Thankfully, Shoichi finally took pity on him and made Mini Mosca stop trying to suck Spanner's cheek into his vacuum bag. The young mechanic sighed in relief when the little robot finally released him, but he bet money there was a ridiculous ring mark on his cheek now from the high suction.

After hearing Shoichi's next words, confusion soon consumed the perplexed Brit.

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Spanner asked as he rubbed at his assaulted cheek with the back of his hand. "Was there a dirt smear on my cheek or something?"

Spanner was certain he had looked prim and proper for his date with Mimi, and she would have certainly pointed out anything grimy about his appearance, so when the blonde-haired teen brought his hand back down and peered at the pink stain on the back of it, everything clicked into place.

"Ugh, you got to be kidding me," Spanner slightly complained out of embarrassment. "How could a single, little peck leave so much lipstick? I'll never understand why girls wear that stuff."

Glancing at Shoichi in slight bafflement, Spanner couldn't help but question, "Why didn't you say anything about the mark, Shoichi? It's mighty embarrassing on my part. I probably looked like a buffoon walking in here all ignorant about it."

* * *

When Spanner finally got the nozzle off, he looked even funnier. A bright red circle was on his cheek, almost hiding the pink lipstick.

"Or something," Shoichi answered, just barely keeping his voice from a grumble. At least his friend didn't seem to have realized that the spot was there. So it wasn't like Mimi had told him to keep that mark and he had agreed to such ridiculous behavior.

Finally, Spanner rubbed that offending spot off. Somehow, Shoichi felt way more relieved than he should have when he heard that Mimi really only seemed to have pecked his friend on the cheek. So...So they hadn't gone any further yet? A hope that was doomed to get crushed was blossoming in the red-head's heart, and he hated it.

Just because nothing had happened yet didn't mean it would stay that way, and it definitely didn't change the fact that Spanner was into girls in the first place. Shoichi had to fight back a sigh.

"Huh?" He asked, since his wandering thoughts had kept him from listening too closely, but as he thought about it, he gathered the question. "Oh. Well, I thought you were proudly wearing that mark of your success or something, or maybe she told you not to wash it off..." He shrugged his shoulders to emphasize that he didn't care, but he did, and he was glad that it was gone now.

* * *

Spanner furrowed his brows in confusion at his best friend's statement.

"Why on earth would I be proud for sporting an embarrassing mark like that?" Spanner questioned with honesty. "I probably looked ridiculous. It surprised me something fierce when Mimi actually did it too; it was a weird feeling."

A look of deep contemplation crossed the young mechanic's face then as he thought over the scenario he had with Mimi before he arrived back at the apartment. Something seemed wrong…like he had forgotten something.

Glancing back towards his friend, Spanner asked, "Hey, Shoichi? Do you think you can give me a little advice? What would be the normal thing to do after a girl pecks you on the cheek?"

* * *

Again, Shoichi shrugged his shoulders. "Like I said; to show your success and how far you've gotten with her, or something. Most guys like to brag about that, I heard." So it really was Mimi who took the initiative, the programmer realized. Either she really cared deeply for Spanner, she was a pretty needy harlot, or both.

Shoichi really didn't want to think about that too much. His hand went into the bag again to distract himself. Munching on some popcorn, he tried to find a solution to the little bug they had just encountered. Maybe it was enough to let Mini Mosca know that people were not to be vacuum cleaned?

He was taken aback at the next question Spanner uttered then. Why on earth would Spanner ask him? It wasn't like he was an expert on girls! At least, not on dating them. And to give his secret love advice on how to successfully date women really wasn't his idea of fun. Once more, Shoichi's stomach twisted into knots. So much for buttered popcorn.

"Obviously she likes you and wants to take things a step further," he analyzed the situation in a monotone voice. "You should show her your appreciation for what she did. Give her a rose next time you see her, or something like that." It was hard to say the next words, but it would happen anyway sooner or later. "When you part after the next date you should kiss her...on the mouth." A painful stab hit his stomach and a soft groan escaped him.

* * *

Spanner let out a soft, exasperated sigh at Shoichi's suggestion for buying a rose. Why was dating so damn expensive? He was going to be so broke soon that he wouldn't have any money left for tools and parts for Mini Mosca. Okay, sure, he had sponsor money for winning the robotics competition last year, but still, being broke wasn't any fun; especially when you wanted to eat.

But, upon hearing Shoichi's next words, all thoughts of roses were forgotten as a distinctive blush flourished across his cheeks.

"Whoa, a kiss on the lips?" Spanner questioned as he slightly raised his voice in embarrassment. He wasn't really sure if he liked that idea. "Are you sure? I haven't even kissed her on the cheek yet. Don't you think that might be a bit too forward? I don't want her to think I have different intentions or something…"

The thought of kissing Mimi in the most intimate of ways was…actually…it was very uncomfortable to think about. Was that normal? Maybe it was because of first time jitters or something?

* * *

Under different circumstances Shoichi would have melted at seeing his usually cool and relaxed friend blush this way and actually be a bit flustered at his suggestion. The way things were though, he just hated for this conversation to go on at all. As his stomach was knotting and churning once more, his mood just plummeted in free fall.

"What different intentions would that be? Either she's just a friend, or she's your girlfriend. I guess you paid enough attention in biology class that you'd know what men and women eventually do, and kissing _**on the lips**_ usually is the first step on that road." Shoichi sounded not just a bit cross. "Of course you can always just return her peck, but you can be pretty sure she'll think you're a douche and you'll find yourself in the, 'just friends', category faster than you can say, 'bloody hell!"

Shoichi felt his stomach stab once more. He bit his lower lip. He couldn't bear this conversation any longer. Did he really just push his secret love into the arms of that girl? Not just his stomach clenched at this realization.

He looked at his watch. "Oh, my, I almost forgot. I have a study date," Shoichi muttered like he just remembered. There was no date, but he just couldn't bear to be around Spanner any longer, and it was the first plausible lie he came up with. He needed to get out of there, so he headed to his room and grabbed his bag.

"See you."

The words were thrown over his shoulder, since he couldn't even bear to look at Spanner at the moment. Once he was out and down the corridor, though, he stopped and wondered where he was going to go. He was way too agitated to study in the library.

Hoping to work some of this feeling out of his system, Shoichi threw his bag over his shoulder and started to run. When he found himself before Byakuran's apartment complex about twenty minutes later, he had no idea how he had gotten there. For a few minutes, he just stood in front of it before he finally decided to try and ring the bell.

"Who's there?" Byakuran asked only seconds later.

"Ehm...it's…it's Shoichi. I was...in the vicinity and just thought..."

"Hahaha, Sho-chan! Come on up!"

The red-head had no idea why he had come here, but hearing Byakuran's happy voice and invitation made him feel a bit better already. He just took the invitation and headed up to the apartment.

* * *

Shoichi's words stabbed Spanner in the gut as he took in the other's derisive tone.

"Of course I know how biological functions work, Shoichi, I'm one of the smartest students in this university," Spanner practically growled back in irritation. "I just didn't want to give Mimi the wrong impression about being only interested in a physical relationship, you know?"

This was the first time his best friend had ever treated him like he was some sort of imbecile, and he had only asked a simple question! Why was Shoichi so upset over this? Was it because he was distracting him from figuring out how to fix the slight bug in Mini Mosca's vacuum programming? No, that couldn't be it. Shoichi was more upset than he'd ever seen him. The British teen thought it would have to be more than irritation with Mini Mosca's programming to make Shoichi this angry.

"And I don't think your reasoning is adding up," the young mechanic continued. "Why would Mimi think I'm a, 'douche' if I only kiss her on the cheek the next time I meet her? Maybe you're the one that needs to rethink here…"

The stabs of pain he felt continued on until it hit Spanner right in the heart. Shoichi had even made a derogatory jab at his speech patterns! He had never done that, in fact, the red-head had always commented on how fun it was to hear Spanner use bits of the British language when he talked.

Before Spanner could ask the other what the, 'bloody hell' was wrong with Shoichi instead, he saw his friend stand up abruptly and announce that he had a study date to get too.

"S-Study date?" Spanner stuttered out in bewilderment as he glanced at the nearby wall clock. "But it's a little after one in the morning, Shoichi! What sane person would initiate a study date at this hour?"

But Shoichi ignored him, grabbed his schoolbag from his room, and promptly left.

…What the bloody hell had just happened?!

Sending a perplexed expression Mini Mosca's way, Spanner couldn't help but ask, "By any chance, can you read hormone levels and detect PMS?"

Unsurprisingly, Mini Mosca stayed perfectly silent. Spanner made a mental note to add something like that into the robot's sensor capabilities.

The disgruntled blonde sighed as he sank into the couch, his hands grasping at his gelled hair and, thus, messing it up. Never in his life had he ever felt so hurt and confused. Just what was wrong with Shoichi? Was there a chance that he liked Mimi, too? Is that why he got angry whenever Spanner brought her up?

Spanner groaned at this. Well if that was the case, Shoichi should have definitely told him, and then he would have stayed clear of the chick. After all, he was only going out with her because he was slightly interested in having a girlfriend, and she seemed to be the best candidate. So, logically, if Shoichi knew this and hadn't stopped him before, that meant that the other being attracted to Mimi wasn't the case at all.

What could he do? Obviously, he had been the one to piss the other off (somehow), so what could he do to make it up to Shoichi after (more like whenever) he got back from his imaginary study date?

Glancing back down at the awaiting Mini Mosca, a small smile made its way onto the mechanic's face. Hopefully, Shoichi wouldn't mind if Spanner dabbled a little at some small programming, because he had the perfect plan to cheer his buddy up!

* * *

The door to the apartment stood open when Shoichi approached. Only on his way up had the programmer realized how late it really was. He was familiar enough with Byakuran to know he hadn't woken him up. He was a night owl just like himself. Still, calling on him this late was bad manners. Worse, even, was how dumb his lie for Spanner had been. A study date at one in the morning? Yeah...right...Well, it was his own life. He could do with it what he wanted, and if he wanted to study at one in the morning then that was his prerogative.

A little nervous, Shoichi entered the apartment.

"Sho-chan, welcome! When I told you where I lived, I never thought you'd really come here all by yourself! Come in, come in," Byakuran was all smiles as he waved for the other to enter.

To Shoichi, it was really incredible to look at the other. It was the middle of the night, and they had had a long day of classes, but Byakuran looked like spring itself. He was perfectly styled, like he was awaiting visitors. Artistically ripped, stone washed jeans, lots of studded belts, a big white shirt with a violet skull design, some wristbands, a spiked collar, and hair that was messy but styled in a way that Shoichi never was able to copy. His hair just always looked wild, unkempt, and messy with no style whatsoever.

"S-sorry to disturb you so late...I...I didn't realize. If...If you're awaiting company, I'll leave," the red-head stuttered dejectedly.

"Company? Naaah. I was just hanging around anyway. It's nice to have company, though. It's just like you felt what I needed, Sho-chan." Byakuran's words were accompanied by his trademark grin. "What would you like? Some green tea or coke?"

Byakuran really remembered his two favorite beverages. And it really was two ways to go. The green tea meant he would leave soon after drinking; heading for bed. The coke would still keep him going for a while. Thinking of Spanner and the way he had left, Shoichi had absolutely no intention of having to face him tonight. If he stayed long enough, Spanner would be in bed when he returned.

"Some coke would be nice," Shoichi finally answered, pushing his glasses up his nose in a resolute way.

"Coke it is, hahaha," Byakuran laughed and got a can from his refrigerator.

When they sat together on the couch, the younger man scrutinized the red head. "Okay, Sho-chan, what's up? As much as I'd like to flatter myself into thinking you missed me so much you just had to visit me, I just know you too well. Something's up. You're upset about something. Maybe talking 'bout it will help."

Head turned a bit to the side, Byakuran looked at him with all attention focused. It was Shoichi that was flattered by this. After the way he felt rejected by his best friend and secret love, it felt incredibly good to have this man's full attention and interest. Shoichi just couldn't help it. He spilled his heart's contents. Of course, he kept to himself that he was in love with Spanner, saying only how he hated that this Mimi was hogging his friend's time when they were supposed to work on their robotics competition project, but Byakuran was a genius after all, and he knew Shoichi only too well.

Not one to let any opportunity slip by un-seized, the younger genius showered the red-head in compassionate attention. After a while, Byakuran looked like he was contemplating something; coming up with an idea a moment later. "I was wondering if I should join the games development competition. Doing it alone just isn't any fun, though, so I wasn't sure. But as it seems you have some time on your hands now, how about you join me? We created, 'Choice' together and it was the greatest game even when we played live, hahahahaha," Byakuran laughed heartily at that.

Shoichi wasn't too sure he could join into that particular joke, but at least the white-haired genius was right. They were great together, and he had some time to spare. Joining in two competitions with good results (of that he was sure with these partners) could only be beneficial for his career.

"If it's okay for you to abstain from creating another war game, then I will join," Shoichi stated his one condition.

Not being offended in the least, Byakuran laughed once more. In a show of affection only too reminiscent of Spanner, he reached out to ruffle Shoichi's hair. "Of course, Sho-chan, if that's what you want!"

It was nearing four in the morning when Shoichi finally came home. At least his first class was only at nine, so he had a chance at four hours of sleep; which was the minimum requirement to function properly.

* * *

The next three hours went by in a blur for Spanner as he worked harder than he ever had in his life (in this time line anyway). The young mechanic's fingers typed away at Shoichi's computer at the speed of light as he desperately wrote the programming he wanted Mini Mosca to follow by the time Shoichi came home (whenever that would be). Exhaustion was pulling heavily at his eyelids, but the constant intake of his suckers was keeping him half-way awake.

The British teen was certain he encoded the last bit of information he needed by the time he heard the apartment door open, and Shoichi enter in. Glancing up with an exhausted smile (he wouldn't be surprised if he had slight bags under his eyes by this point as well), Spanner greeted his beloved friend.

"Welcome back Shoichi, I hope you were able to get some studying done."

Spanner didn't believe that Shoichi actually had a study date, but he wouldn't be surprised if the other went to the campus library to just study by himself.

"I was working on a little surprise for you, so I hope you like it," Spanner continued as excitement started to course through his tired body again. "I hope you don't mind that I did some programming, but I had to in order to get this done for you. I was thinking that this would make you feel better, because you seem rather upset as of late, and it would be an added benefit towards the robotics competition."

Giving a confident smirk, Spanner placed Shoichi's computer on the coffee table, unplugged it from Mini Mosca, and effectively turned the little robot on in the process.

"I was thinking that this added programming would give us a cute factor to wow any female judges that might be present," the blue-eyed mechanic explained as he gave Mini Mosca his newly programmed command. "Okay, Mini Mosca, hug person in front of you."

Since Mini Mosca was facing Shoichi, the little robot beeped in confirmation as his little caterpillar belted feet moved steady across the wooden floor until he reached the young red-haired man. Spanner smiled in triumph as he witnessed Mini Mosca turn beside Shoichi and move his arms up, and gently, around the other's legs, but something completely unexpected happened after that; Mini Mosca started gyrating his, 'hips', back and forth against those said legs.

Staring at the scene before him in slight horror, Spanner immediately shouted, "Stop hug, Mini Mosca!" as he returned his attention to Shoichi's computer screen. Spanner was absolutely certain that he had encoded the command as, 'hug' and not, 'hump' but something obviously had gone awry during his programming.

"I'm sorry, Shoichi. That wasn't supposed to happen," Spanner quickly apologized in shame as he combed one hand through his already messy hair as the other searched through Shoichi's computer for the problem. This had turned into a disaster!

* * *

His visit with Byakuran had really uplifted his spirits. It was nobody's fault that Spanner was into girls and had found one for himself. It would still take some time to come to terms with it, but the new project with Byakuran would keep him busy and help keep his mind off things until he was just used to it.

"Hm? Oh yeah, yeah I did," Shoichi answered, telling himself that it wasn't a total lie. He had studied his own feelings, hadn't he?

"A...A surprise? What...?" The red-haired programmer was pretty surprised already. He had reacted badly to Spanner's question and had left in a very bad manner, but his friend had still worked on something to cheer him up. Warm feelings for the other one washed through him as he regretted his previous behavior at the same time.

"S-Spanner, you...you shouldn't have," he said softly. "Mini Mosca's cute factor?" Now Shoichi was a bit confused. What had his friend programmed the little robot to do? When he heard the command, he understood.

Shoichi looked at Spanner with a warm smile as Mini Mosca approached him. The hug started out just fine and it really was very cute. Only then the little robot started to hump him like a horny dog. For a second, Shoichi just looked at his leg and Mini Mosca, "doing it".

While Spanner got flustered and tried to stop the action, the young programmer couldn't help but laugh. "I'm not so sure the female judges would really consider this cute. Well, maybe if they have a dog at home." At least Mini Mosca had stopped his action immediately after Spanner had shouted the command.

Still smiling, Shoichi stepped a little closer to his friend. "Don't worry. It was a pretty good idea, and we'll find the bug and make it right. It was pretty funny at least. Thank you for trying to do this for me, but...but I'm not too sure I've done anything to deserve this. I was the one behaving...badly. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have run out like that and...and I shouldn't have said the things I did. Really, I'm sorry, Spanner. Everything...Everything will work out fine with Mimi if you just go with your gut, and if that tells you to take it slow and kiss her on the cheek, then that's fine. She'll understand your feelings, I'm sure."

'_And how can she not fall hopelessly for you? I, at least, couldn't guard against it,_' Shoichi thought a bit sadly, but he was working hard on getting over that feeling.

* * *

To Spanner's complete and total surprise, Shoichi was laughing at Mini Mosca's horrible display of etiquette. Sighing to himself, the flustered mechanic was at least thankful that Shoichi was in a good mood again. Hearing his friend comfort his slight blunder brought a warmth to Spanner's gut that he couldn't quite describe. All he knew was that he felt totally relieved that Shoichi wasn't angry with him anymore, and that Shoichi actually apologized for his earlier behavior.

Curious to know what had been the cause of all this turmoil in the first place (he was only assuming things after all), but knowing it might open still healing wounds, Spanner let the question die in his throat as he took Shoichi's words in with gratitude.

"Thanks, Shoichi, but you deserve more credit than you give yourself for," Spanner insisted with a small, warm smile. "I don't know where I'd be right now if you weren't always beside me and pushing me in the right direction. Knowing me, I'd probably be passed out in my room from malnutrition or something."

Yawning after his statement, Spanner stretched and stood up from the couch.

"Well, I think we're both due for some sleep. We have plenty of time to work on Mini Mosca together in the future, so we can stall in fixing that bug until a little later."

With another warm smile sent his best friend's way, Spanner turned off Mini Mosca and headed for bed. As the exhausted blonde fell face first onto his mattress, he couldn't stop thinking of what Shoichi had said about Mimi. For some reason, a wave of discomfort had gone through him at the thought of kissing the girl. He had no idea why, though. He liked Mimi, didn't he? Or maybe he just didn't like the fact that Shoichi was saying one thing one minute, and saying something different concerning her the next?

…Or maybe he was just tired and overthinking things due to exhaustion? Yeah, that seemed pretty accurate.

Pushing the thoughts on Mimi completely to the side now, Spanner easily fell asleep while hoping that he'd be able to wake up in time for class.

* * *

Shoichi couldn't help but agree that Spanner needed someone to look after him. Until Mimi would fully take over that role at least, he would carry on doing it. It was what friends did, wasn't it? So he wouldn't be out of bounds.

"We can work on this bug and the vacuum one another day, you're right," Shoichi nodded and yawned, affirming that sleep was desperately needed.

They both went their separate ways into their rooms. Just like Spanner, it didn't take Shoichi long to find sleep that night, but at least he managed to find it in his bed for once.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Hi there! So here it is, the third chapter. This one's pretty long, even by our standards XD Just like our reviewer's asked for, here the drama really begins ^_^ A few misunderstandings and our involved third parties cause a lot of heartbreak, still we hope you will enjoy. Also our little Mini Mosca will get a little upgrade, which we hope you'll all like. And for the Byakuran fans there is a little present.

So please, tell us your thoughts in a little review, a few words will keep us going and they really help us with the motivation. We are thanking anyone who reviewed or faved us and those who follow this story.

Now, have fun and maybe keep a tissue handy ;)

**Warnings for this chapter:** Drama, Angst, Heartbreak

* * *

**Chapter 3**

Between classes, studying, and Mimi, Spanner's time was pretty occupied that following week. This suited the young programmer just fine now, since he used his roommate's absence to meet with Byakuran. Even though it was still hard on Shoichi to see Spanner and Mimi together during lunch break, or know that Spanner was out with her, working with Byakuran on their game project was distracting, and actually more fun than he would have thought. It really kept his mind occupied and prevented him from falling prey to depression.

While at first Shoichi tried to be home early, hoping to catch his best friend and still work an hour or more on Mini Mosca, he soon started to lose track of time around the pale genius. It didn't help that Spanner only came home late the first two nights, either.

As promised, it wasn't another war game that he created with Byakuran. It was an action-adventure game not too loosely based on Tsuna's ascension to become head of the Vongola. Of course, all the names were changed, and the player had the choice to become a nice boss of the Yakuza or an evil one, but the special abilities of the side characters still encompassed not only crazy hand to hand combat skills with Tonfas and sword wielding, but also dynamite stick throwing and illusion wielding.

Shoichi had a lot of fun creating this game with Byakuran. One reason was because they planned for funny gimmicks, like Lambo appearing out of nowhere with the Ten-Year-Bazooka and turning the characters into toddlers, or the upgrade mechanic messing with the weapons and turning them into useless, but funny, toys (this was Shoichi's jab at Giannini, of course). Another reason was that Byakuran was a lot of fun to be around. His easy nature was putting Shoichi's mind at ease.

With Spanner being so preoccupied at the moment, he didn't stick to their cleaning schedule like he should and his tools had started to go rampant in the apartment again. Shoichi hated that with a passion, because he tended to step on the strewn tools and hurt himself. Of course, Spanner claimed that there was a very special system to the tools lying around on the floor and that Shoichi just needed to watch where he was going; which made for upsetting arguments between them.

The red-head soon learned that it helped a lot to talk (more like complain and whine) to Byakuran about it. His white-haired friend always had funny ideas on how to take revenge on Spanner that helped ease Shoichi's tension. Of course, he never acted on the suggestions, but at least his mood always was way better when he returned from Byakuran after that.

* * *

The following week was exhausting for Spanner as he tried to balance between school, homework, work time with Shoichi, and Mimi. More often than not, most of the time he had was spent with Mimi, who insistently demanded that Spanner spend more time with her. Not one to willingly disappoint others, Spanner did as he was asked, and spent most of his time with his girlfriend when it came to eating, and doing homework (since they were in most of the same classes).

Even though he liked Mimi, constantly being around her was starting to get on the usually patient teen's nerves. He hardly had time to work on Mini Mosca anymore, and whenever he tried to hang out with Shoichi, he was always off somewhere doing who knows what (they hardly had time to talk, so Spanner had no idea where Shoichi was spending most of his time nowadays). Not only that, whenever he did get to see Shoichi, they usually fought because Spanner was too busy to stick with the cleaning schedule, and because Shoichi just couldn't understand his way of organization.

The young Brit had never fought this much with his best friend before, and he had a feeling that it was mainly due to the fact that he was picking Mimi over him. Sometimes, Spanner wondered why he was picking the girl over Shoichi. The most intimate they had been was when they gave pecks on the cheek to each other, and Spanner was just fine with that (he found kissing the girl awkward for some reason), but it seemed that with every day that passed by with no growth to their relationship, Mimi wanted to spend time with him even more.

Spanner was effectively depressed by the time he arrived home earlier than usual throughout the following week. The previous week had been a week of hell, in his opinion, and he was beyond frustrated. Mimi had yelled at him for wanting to not go out to eat with her again, even though they went out to eat every single day it seemed. Not only was Spanner out of patience concerning the girl's clinginess, he was out of spending money, too.

As he sat down on the couch and covered his eyes with his hands out of exhaustion, he heard a little beep. Glancing up, he saw Mini Mosca move towards him, the vacuum nozzles in his feet and pointer finger out and sucking up dust and dirt around Spanner's feet.

Quirking an eyebrow at this, Spanner let out a soft, "Sorry, mate," and moved his feet out of the way for the little robot to clean. It seemed in his rather long absence (he couldn't remember the last time he worked on Mini Mosca), Shoichi had done a little extra programming and had fixed the vacuum bug, and allowed Mini Mosca to be able to clean without any supervision on their part (it was probably because he couldn't stand the mess and lack of cleaning effort from Spanner anymore).

One thing was for sure now as the young mechanic watched his creation vacuum the floor in front of him; he needed to work on the little robot again, and he had to spend some time with Shoichi that didn't include fighting. He desperately craved it like a sweet, because he felt that Shoichi would be the only one to lift him from this depressive state. So, as soon as his friend got home, they'd get down to work again!

* * *

Although most of the Millefiore Family was still suspicious of Byakuran, nonetheless he had their financial backing thanks to Uni. That made for a big apartment and state of the art computer equipment. Shoichi really was a bit jealous. His own laptop wasn't too bad, but it was nothing compared to Byakuran's and the system he had in his apartment. That was the reason why they were working over at the pale genius's home most of the time.

"Bya-kun, sorry! I really, really want to stay, but I can't! Even if Spanner doesn't feel like he has to stick to our schedule, I do! If I don't, we'll drown in chaos," Shoichi really sounded a bit desperate. At least Mini Mosca kept the floor clean now (except for those hateful, strewn tools). Knowing how important they were to Spanner and how he really seemed to have some (to other people) indiscernible system, Shoichi had programmed the little robot to clean around the tools; neither touching nor moving them.

"You could always move over here, hihihi," Byakuran said with his trademark, closed-eyed grin.

"No, I couldn't. Your rent is horrendous! And even though this apartment is big, there's still only one bedroom!"

"I bet we could make do..."

There was that gleam in Byakuran's eyes again that Shoichi had noticed show up only a short while ago. Somehow it made him shiver and his stomach try to do somersaults. Unsure of how to react, he just looked at Byakuran with a soft blush creeping into his cheeks. His friend was joking...wasn't he?

"Hahaha, you're so easily flustered, Sho-chan!" Byakuran laughed, leaning forward to ruffle the red-head's hair. Just when Shoichi relaxed in the knowledge it really all had been a joke, though, the other leaned in even closer. "I mean it, you're always welcome here," he said softly into the older one's ear, his warm breath ghosting over Shoichi's skin.

This rattled the red-haired programmer to the core. Was this really just an offer between friends?! "Ehm...I...I really have to go!" Grabbing his bag, Shoichi almost ran from the apartment and Byakuran's influence on him.

"Hahahaha. Bye, Sho-chan!" He heard the other one laugh before he shut the door behind him. His heart was beating like crazy and he was actually panting! How could a few words from Byakuran affect him this much?

When Shoichi arrived at their apartment he was still a bit flustered. He hoped his white-haired friend had been making fun of him. But...But then again...maybe he wasn't...and if he wasn't, was that so bad? It wasn't like anyone was waiting for him.

With that thought in mind, he opened the door to find Spanner at home.

"Oh...you're here. Hi!" A real smile made its way onto his face, but it crumbled again fast. "I guess you're just making a short appearance, hm? Mimi's waiting for you to come over, I expect?" Shoichi knew he really shouldn't get his hopes up that they might get to work on Mini Mosca together again for once.

* * *

When he saw his red-headed friend standing in the doorway with a bright smile, Spanner couldn't help but return it with a sigh of relief. He didn't know why, but seeing Shoichi automatically lifted his spirits like nothing else could. But then those feelings came crashing down with the other's question, which caused the blonde teen to groan and turn away.

"Ugh, don't remind me of her at the moment, Shoichi," Spanner openly complained as he ruffled his gelled hair with his hands, causing his hair to curl in an unruly manner. "I don't know what to do with her anymore. She's so insistent and clingy when it comes to us spending time together. It's like she can't understand that I have other duties and needs."

After a contemplative pause, Spanner turned his attention back towards Shoichi.

"I'm sorry for ditching you so much with Mini Mosca; especially since I was the one that insisted on the two of us working together. I just don't like to disappoint people…but I ended up disappointing you to make another person happy, and for that, I'm sorry, Shoichi. I'm going to take a little break from Mimi to recollect myself and think over some things, and in that time, I want to work like crazy on Mini Mosca with you again. I miss it…"

Rubbing the back of his head in slight embarrassment at his confession (he wasn't used to being so open), Spanner continued, "So…how have you been, Shoichi? It feels like I haven't seen you in forever. And when we actually had time to talk, we were always fighting…"

* * *

Shoichi went into the room and placed his bag neatly to the side of the couch. When Spanner complained about Mimi to him, there was a part of him that rejoiced at hearing about it, but the other part of him wanted to quench that happiness. One look at his friend was enough to do so anyway. No matter what he thought of that girl, there was just no way Shoichi wanted to see his best friend suffer.

"I'd guess that she really doesn't, Spanner. All she wants is to enjoy your company." He shrugged slightly. Why was he defending Mimi? He really was an idiot, wasn't he?

Spanner looked at him then. Shoichi felt his stomach somersault once more and his heart pick up speed. Those blue eyes could have an intensity that was just incredible and unexpected. People who met Spanner for the first time always got the wrong impression of him. They thought him to be lazy because of his laid back, relaxed manner, and most missed the intelligence in his eyes when he watched the world with a half-lidded gaze. But when he focused his attention on you, the intensity could really throw you.

Shoichi's heart clenched painfully at the apology he received. It was all he had hoped, and even dreamed, to hear, but it was so hard to take, too. It was enough to make his hopes rise up again when he thought he had finally trampled them.

"No, Spanner. It's... It's okay. You have a girlfriend now, so it's just...normal to spend time with her. We still have over three months until the competition, and Mini Mosca is already up and running. Also, I'm close to finishing the new programming…" - _with Byakuran's help_. For some reason, Shoichi only thought that last part; not telling Spanner that his friend was a big help in that.

Sighing softly, Shoichi took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. He hated what he was about to do, but it was for the best. For his own best, at least. For once, he just had to think of himself. Putting his glasses back on, Shoichi looked at Spanner.

"I've been busy. You see, Bya-kun...-ran asked me to join him on a project for the video game competition for the programmers." Shoichi somehow felt bad that he had let slip the more familiar form of address he had started to use for Byakuran. "I've been dividing my free time between working on said game and working on Mini Mosca. If you look at the floor, you'll see it's working out." He allowed himself a small smile, even though he didn't feel too happy at the moment. "Anyways, I'm glad you want to work on Mini Mosca more. I'll try and see that I can schedule my meetings with Byakuran around your free time, so that we can work together as much as possible,"

Shoichi sounded way cooler about this than he felt. He abstained from commenting on their growing fights as best as he could, because the situation was awkward enough as it was, but he wouldn't stop working with Byakuran just because Spanner had decided he needed a break from his clingy girlfriend! Once the other's urges kicked in again, he'd be off into her arms anyway, and Shoichi would sit here alone with Mini Mosca once more...

* * *

"Oh, I see," the young mechanic nodded as he listened to his friend explain what he had been doing in his absence, but then Spanner's exhausted brain finally put two and two together and figured out that he shouldn't be so nonplussed about what Shoichi had just said. "Wait! You've been doing what?!"

The young mechanic gaped at his friend like the programmer had just grown an extra head. He had been certain that he had heard Shoichi say Bya-kun instead of Byakuran, too. When did that start? Why was he calling the other by such a cutesy term, too?

"Is that where you've been most of the evenings as well?" Spanner asked as his eyes narrowed. He hated how he felt in that moment. He hated thinking about how Shoichi was spending more time with Byakuran now, just because Mimi was spending more time with him. Spanner didn't want to think about it, but somehow, he felt like he was slowly being replaced.

Maybe that's what Shoichi felt when he saw him choosing to hang out with his girlfriend instead?

Guilt, worry, and a twinge of jealousy enveloped the depressed mechanic as he tried to hold himself back from demanding that Shoichi stay away from the, "Mad Marshmallow Hatter". He remembered that he had given Byakuran a second chance like Shoichi had done, and his best friend hadn't admitted to the white-haired man doing anything bad to him, so there was no reason for him to demand anything; especially since he was the one choosing to not hang out with his best friend in the first place.

"Please don't tell me he's making you create Choice with him again…" Spanner groaned out, hoping that Shoichi had enough sense to not do that. The last thing they needed was a repeat of their old future. "You know what? Never mind. I know you wouldn't let that happen again."

Spanner stood up from the couch then and gave his friend a reassuring smile. He didn't want a bigger rift to grow between them just because he was more wary of Byakuran than Shoichi was.

"How about we just sit down and work on Mini Mosca together? Have you programmed him to grab popcorn bags and what not by himself yet, or do we still have to hand those to him directly?"

* * *

His confession was obviously unsuspected by Spanner. He seemed even a bit flustered. Shoichi stroked back his unruly hair.

"Well, yes. We both tend to go to bed late, and the evenings are when our homework and studying is done already. So that's the best time for us to work on our project."

The young programmer could see that all these news made Spanner uneasy. He was still suspicious of Byakuran, of that, Shoichi was sure. He didn't like it. Why couldn't Spanner trust him when he told him Byakuran had changed? If the guy were still the psychotic, genocidal killer from their alternate future, would he spend time with him? No! Of course not! And he was the one to look through Byakuran in the first place, wasn't he? If it hadn't been for him and his plan to bring Tsuna to the future, they wouldn't be here right now!

His eyes narrowed at his best friend's groan. "Of course not! It has nothing to do with war at all. It's an action-adventure." With the suspicion so thick in the room, Shoichi kept to himself that he had made it a requirement for his cooperation that their game wouldn't be a war game. Spanner didn't need to know that. "Nice to know you trust me..." He murmured with a touch of sarcasm.

Taking a deep breath, Shoichi pushed his glasses higher up onto his nose once more; calming himself. He didn't want to fight again either. They were still friends, and he wanted this friendship to last at least.

"If you haven't spread too much chaos again, Mini Mosca should be able to get the popcorn. I've programmed a few things. He replenishes his condiments by himself now, but that only works with things that are in the preprogrammed places. If you put things in the wrong place, he won't be able to find them. It won't take too long, though, until he does. I've been working hard on the programming. Soon he'll be able to read labels and search for things by himself; maybe two or three weeks more."

Shoichi really used every minute he got at the supercomputer, and Byakuran was helping a lot, especially with the language programming. Soon, Mini Mosca would truly understand them and not just follow programmed commands. The red-head was pretty excited to see Mini Mosca go to a whole new level, but it still needed a little time.

"Yeah, okay, let's sit down and work," Shoichi said with a smile.

* * *

Even though the evening they spent together went well, despite the simmering hurt and anger they both felt, the following morning did not go as well. It happened due to a little malfunction Mini Mosca had.

Spanner was the first to wake up that morning, and since he was craving waffles and syrup, he handed over two, circular, frozen waffles to Mini Mosca and ordered for him to microwave them. The little robot did just that, and placed the waffles on the plate Spanner offered him once they were done. When the young mechanic commanded the robot to pour the syrup next, it just so happened that Shoichi came up behind him wearing a yellow, checkered, buttoned-up shirt. This, coupled with Spanner's blonde, swirly hair, overrode the poor little robot's information banks and prompted him to pour syrup on anything that resembled a waffle. Needless to say, even though the actual waffles got a good coating of maple syrup, so did Spanner's hair, and the chest area of Shoichi's shirt (Spanner assumed it was because the other's chest was level with his head because he was still bent over and holding the plate out for Mini Mosca to pour onto).

After that, Spanner, in good humor of course, couldn't help but comment that Shoichi looked like he was lactating maple syrup, and it would have been hilarious if Mini Mosca malfunctioned even more and threw the waffles at Shoichi's chest as well. The maple syrup would have made them stick to the other's chest to make it look like a bra. Shoichi really took this the wrong way, and probably thought Spanner had made a jab at his masculinity, because he stormed back into his room and put on a new shirt. Even though Spanner tried to tell him that Mini Mosca could have easily stuck a waffle to his syrupy hair, which would make him look like he was wearing a silly, prissy, French beret, Shoichi didn't even seem to listen, and left the apartment shortly after.

Shoichi didn't return until the following morning.

Spanner couldn't stop stewing over this fact; his hunches telling him that his best friend had probably spent all of his time with Byakuran. That thought irked him to no end; even though he tried to reason with himself that Byakuran was a changed man.

Because of this fact, Spanner started working hard on Mini Mosca. He knew it was wrong in a sense, but he wanted to get as much done as possible so that Shoichi would have to spend more of his time at the apartment inputting the programming that was needed for the little robot, instead of with Byakuran and his Mad Platforming Action Game of Doom.

Since he was so intent on the little robot, it was no wonder that when the following week rolled around, so did a very upset Mimi. She came over one night crying about how he never spent time with her anymore and demanding an answer why.

When Spanner didn't answer due to lack of any reasonable one, the brown-haired girl buried her face into his chest and continued to shed tears. Unsure of what to do or say, Spanner just held the girl in the entryway to their apartment. Before he could figure out how to rectify this situation he had caused, though, Mimi took him by complete surprise and smashed her lips against his in desperation. Spanner's baby blue eyes widened exponentially at the weird and foreign feeling, but before he could decide if he should continue the act or just push the clingy girl off due to how awkward this felt, Spanner saw Shoichi enter through the doorway and stop dead in his tracks.

* * *

The red-haired programmer had felt so much better when their joined work in the evening went by without any fighting. Together they could do so much in so little time that it felt amazing, but, once again, all those good feelings vanished in the morning.

Mini Mosca's little malfunction might have been funny to him. He could see why the little robot would have mistaken his checkered shirt for a waffle. Only, Spanner's comment hit him like a slap to the face. So was that how the other saw him? A prissy girl? Unable to bear Spanner's presence any longer, Shoichi ran to his room to change.

Any attempts his roommate made to talk to him he ignored. It just hurt too badly. With his bag thrown over his back, he fled the apartment only to head to the next possible bathroom, his stomach cramps almost incapacitating him. For a while, he just sat on the bathroom floor, back to the wall, and knees close to his body, in a pitiful little ball.

Any thoughts of Spanner made his stomach roll again, but it was so hard to forget that mean comment and all it implicated. Why was it so hard to stop feeling these things for Spanner? Why couldn't he just think of him as a friend? It only hurt like hell because of the way the other one was oblivious to his deeper feelings. If they were just friends, wouldn't he have taken that jab at his masculinity lighter? But they weren't just friends, not to him at least, and it had hurt too much to laugh it off.

And what was he to do now? He couldn't stay on this cold bathroom floor forever, but he couldn't bear the thought of going home and facing Spanner either. A white-haired head with a happy grin popped into his mind then. Byakuran...He possibly had the ability to make him feel better. At the very least, programming on the game would take his mind off his troubles.

Shoichi had been right. His white-haired friend lifted his spirits in no time. With all the work the red-head had been doing with him being torn between two projects, the usual studying, and his constant fighting with Spanner on top, he had totally forgotten about the new CD of his favorite band coming out. Byakuran hadn't forgotten, though, and had bought the newest, "Blood and Peppers". Listening to it, they worked way into the night with Shoichi falling asleep at the desk at some point. He only went home in the morning to change for classes, and avoided Spanner as much as possible.

The next few days, Shoichi kept to that pattern. He went away early and arrived back home late. Byakuran seemed only too happy to offer him shelter. At least he could walk around his white-haired friend's apartment without slicing open his feet on strewn tools, and his stomach didn't cramp up painfully every time he looked at the other's face. But even though Shoichi couldn't bear to be around Spanner, he worked like crazy on Mini Mosca's programming. It wasn't the little robot's fault that his creators didn't get along anymore. Also, Shoichi had made a commitment, and he didn't go back on his word. He was very thankful to Byakuran that he understood and still helped; even though he had started to resent Spanner on his behalf, it seemed.

On his way to get some new music to take over to Byakuran's, Shoichi felt torn. On the one hand, he hoped Spanner wasn't there so he didn't have to confront him, but on the other, he missed the mechanic incredibly. For a week they had spoken only the bare necessities to keep things civil. Maybe...Maybe he should try to be home earlier today and make them dinner? Maybe that could help them make up somehow? It was worth a try at least, since he really missed Spanner's friendship.

Just when he had reached this decision, he came upon their open doorway to find Mimi all over Spanner, her tongue feeling up his tonsils. To Shoichi, it felt like he had walked into a massive wall. His heart and stomach clenched so badly that he almost crumbled, and bile rose in his throat.

"S...Sorry to disturb..." He barely mumbled.

His eyes burned with tears he kept in check with all his might. Forgetting about the CD's and everything else, he stumbled backward out of the doorway. Turning around, he walked away in a daze. As much as he tried to blink it away, he just couldn't forget about the mental picture of Spanner and Mimi kissing.

* * *

Seeing his friend appear before him so abruptly had made Spanner gasp in surprise. It was in that moment that Mimi took the initiative and forced her tongue into his mouth. The young mechanic made a noise of protest at the grotesque feeling, but felt helpless in that instant as his eyes stared directly into Shoichi's dark green. He didn't know what to make of his best friend's reaction, all the British teen knew was that the expression Shoichi showed him made his heart stop.

Before he knew it, the young programmer was mumbling out an apology and walking away. As soon as Shoichi's body was out of sight, it was like Spanner finally was able to come to his senses. Pushing Mimi away from him, the blonde-haired teen was finally able to gasp for air.

"What the bloody hell was that for?!" Spanner questioned as he raised his voice in disgust, his hand coming up to wipe away the remaining saliva around his mouth.

"Didn't you like it?" Mimi whimpered out as fresh tears started to spring from her big, doe eyes.

"Of course I didn't! You basically just raped my mouth with your tongue!" Spanner let out sternly as he glared at the girl before him. His mouth truly did feel violated, and it surprised him how much he actually hadn't enjoyed his first kiss. Maybe it just wasn't his thing?

"…You're horrible…" Mimi mumbled between quivering lips as she bowed her head.

Spanner felt a slight stab of guilt at those words, but he believed he had every right to be angry at the moment, so he stayed silent.

It was his lack of response that probably drove Mimi over the edge. With tears streaming from her eyes like rivers, she brought her head back up to fully glare into Spanner's taken aback face. Her brown orbs were narrowed in hatred and contempt.

"You never like spending time with me anymore, and you don't like it when I kiss you! It's obvious to me now that you'd rather spend your time with your damn robot than with someone of flesh and blood!"

Hating the insinuation she was making about him (he liked spending his time more with his friend Shoichi than with a robot, but Mini Mosca didn't deserve to be treated in contempt for his mistakes!), Spanner narrowed his eyes even further, and for the first time in his life, actually spat at someone else in anger.

"Well, if maybe you weren't such a clingy bint that took all of my money for your own pleasure, then maybe I would have liked to hang out with you more!"

That comment earned him a hard slap across the face.

"It's over, Spanner! I hate you!" Mimi screamed at the top of her lungs as she ran out the door and down the hall to her own apartment.

As the door slammed in his face, Spanner could only hold his cheek and wonder what had just happened. He felt like the biggest git in the world then. Not only had he actually hurt a poor woman's feelings (even though she was a bit too clingy for his tastes), but…

It was here that Spanner remembered the brief look he had at Shoichi's surprised face. No matter what he did, he couldn't figure out the meaning behind the look he got from the other. All he knew was that it hurt worse than the palm imprinted across his cheek. What was wrong with him? How was it that he felt more horrible about his friend than at losing his first girlfriend?

* * *

There was only one place he could head to. Even without thinking about it consciously, Shoichi found his way to Byakuran's apartment. It was one of the few times the white-haired genius lost his happy face when he found a red eyed, distressed and hurt Shoichi before his door.

"What did he do?" Was all he asked. Gently, he guided his upset friend into the apartment and to the couch.

The red-head had kept his feelings for Spanner to himself, at least, that was what he thought. This time, though, he crumbled. "I...I wanted to make up with him...I really did...but...but when I came home...there...there she was..." Shoichi's voice was as broken as his heart felt. He took off his glasses and pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes. "She was all over him..."

"Ah...Sho-chan!" Byakuran's voice was full of pity. Before the red-haired programmer knew what was happening, he felt himself wrapped up in a comforting embrace. "Spanner-kun is an idiot for choosing a mediocre girl over a cute genius like you!"

For a second, Shoichi went rigid in the unexpected and unasked for embrace, but when Byakuran said these words, "Spanner-kun just doesn't deserve you" and comfortingly stroked his back, he couldn't help but mellow. Maybe it was childish, but hearing Byakuran tell him these things made Shoichi feel better.

He finally had to come to terms with the fact that Spanner really was into girls and there was just no way for them to come together. All he could do was try to salvage their friendship somehow. But for that night he stayed over at Byakuran's again, his wounds still too fresh to confront his roommate. And he knew he wouldn't be able to bear it if he returned home to hear certain sounds coming from Spanner's bedroom.

With Byakuran's help, Shoichi realized that he had to give up on his feelings about Spanner. "There are a lot of other fish in the sea. Although I'd prefer it if you looked a little closer to home," the white-haired genius told him with his trademark grin.

There were a few more jokes like that strewn into their conversation. Were they really just jokes? Shoichi started to wonder as he thought back on Byakuran's offer to stay with him. Did his friend have the kind of feelings for him that he always hoped for in Spanner? If that was so, could he give into them? Wasn't it good to know at least someone wanted him? It definitely felt way better than just being rejected like he was by Spanner.

By the following evening, Shoichi had made up his mind to give Byakuran a chance and make up with Spanner as much as possible. To keep his sanity, though, he decided to treat what he had seen last night like it never happened.

"Hey, Spanner. If you're free tonight, I was planning on working on Mini Mosca," he greeted his roommate when he came home in the early evening the following day.

* * *

It was no surprise that Shoichi didn't come home that night. The very thought of the other running over to Byakuran (where else would Shoichi stay overnight?) to work on their gruesome action game (or GAG for short), coupled with the image of the weird expression Shoichi shared with him, made for a difficult night of sleep for Spanner. No matter what he did, he just couldn't keep the images of Byakuran and Shoichi laughing and working together (in comparison to how he and Shoichi always fought now), and that weird expression, out of his head.

When morning came, Spanner crawled out of bed with about four hours of restless sleep. Needless to say, he wasn't ready for the day. He was tired, depressed, and not looking forward to classes that would give him more homework and force him to stare at a distraught Mimi the whole time. Maybe if he was lucky, she'd be too depressed to come to class?

…Wow. He really was a bastard, wasn't he?

Hating himself a little more, Spanner got ready for the day, turned Mini Mosca on, ordered him to clean his room, and then left for classes.

When the end of the day finally came, Spanner was exhausted and couldn't remember a single thing he had learned in class. Mimi was in class and glaring at him the whole time, so that was probably part of the reason, but the other reason was that part of him couldn't stop thinking of Shoichi in order to focus on class.

With a sigh, Spanner just opened the door to be greeted by Mini Mosca, who beeped at him in a friendly manner. That was new. Maybe Shoichi had just recently programmed the other to greet people when they came in?

Patting the little robot affectionately on the head, Spanner sank into the couch. His thoughts immediately switched to Shoichi and how he just couldn't get the other out of his head at the moment, but before long, the object of his thoughts walked into the apartment. Almost immediately, Spanner forgot his fatigue and jumped to his feet.

"Shoichi!" He let out in a usually soft, yet surprised manner as he stared at the other boy in worry. There were so many things he wanted to ask, yet he couldn't quite figure out what they were. The young mechanic was beyond confused now.

His best friend's words interrupted his thoughts then, making Spanner's depressed mood soar with hope.

"Of course! I have plenty of time!" Spanner stated with an eager smile. After all, it wasn't like he had Mimi to bother him anymore.

As the two boys sat down to get to work (Spanner had finished installing a Swiss army knife, and had even implemented temperature and infrared sensors in his beloved robot's eyes/scanning mechanisms), Spanner occupied himself with working on a small display screen on the upper portion of Mini Mosca's chest, right above the microwave. When Shoichi was finished with his programming next week, they hoped to have Mini Mosca understanding human speech, and be able to respond back through text (they didn't have the right equipment or money for creating a voice microchip). But, as the British teen got down to work, he couldn't stop sending worried glances Shoichi's way. He wanted to desperately ask if the other was okay, but since Shoichi was acting like nothing had happened the other night, it was probably best that he did too. After all, he didn't want his friend running out on him and to Byakuran again.

* * *

Even though Shoichi was dead set on ignoring what had happened last night, he couldn't help but acknowledge that Spanner said he had plenty of time. So, Mimi had had her share of Spanner yesterday, huh?

He closed his eyes; willing those thoughts away again. It didn't really matter! Spanner was quite obviously happy, and that was what he wanted for his friend, wasn't it?

Spanner really had done some work these last days, Shoichi realized. There were quite a few new components he had to bring online and integrate into the existing programming.

"Ah, heat sensors. Very good thinking. They are pretty high powered, too. Mini Mosca will even be able to spot a growing fire three apartments away!"

When Shoichi looked up with a smile, he saw Spanner return his gaze with concern. "Is something wrong?" He asked, halting his hacking on the keyboard for a moment. The red-head hoped his friend wouldn't bring up what he tried to ignore.

* * *

"Yeah, I really made some progress," Spanner agreed with a confident smirk as he strapped on his goggles, and slipped on his welding gloves, to work on some wiring. "Mini Mosca will definitely be a shoe-in for first place. Not only is he a condiment dispenser, but he can do house hold chores, interact with people, and detect possible dangers towards family and neighbors. I wouldn't be surprised if some major company came up to me and asked me to sign a contract to mass produce our little bloke, here."

It was after this statement that Spanner chanced a glance towards his busy friend again. He really was ignoring whatever happened yesterday. The British teen didn't know why, but it concerned him greatly…

Hearing the next words that left his best friend's lips, Spanner almost jumped in surprise. He hadn't expected the question, or to be caught staring at the other.

"Ah, no, there's nothing wrong," the young mechanic quickly lied in order to keep things amicable between them. "I was just thinking how long it's been since we've done this together. I was worried that the amount of work I got done would overwhelm you, since you have so many other things going on with Mini Mosca's programming."

* * *

Shoichi knew it was only just over a week since they had worked hand in hand like this, but with that incident, and them just not talking at all, it really felt more like an eternity. It just felt good to be together without fighting. He was glad in a way that Spanner hadn't seem to realize how much it had disturbed him to walk in on him and his girlfriend last night. He had no intention of talking about it anyway. Shoichi just resolved to listen at the door before walking inside in the future to avoid any more scenes like that.

He smiled warmly. "Yeah, this is really nice. And nah, don't worry about it. The programming I'm doing is during class hours anyway, so it's not taking away the time I set aside for our little buddy." In a show of affection he stroked the Mosca's dome. "I'm so excited to finally get that program done and integrated into our Mini. It's gonna be so awesome. Really, I can't imagine anyone coming up with something even nearly as good as him."

The red-head nodded slightly and straightened his glasses. "Yeah, I think you might be right in that. Maybe you should contact a lawyer about that, so they won't try to pull one over on you. " There were enough stories going around about young inventors selling their rights for a penny while the companies winnings skyrocketed. As he thought about it some more, something else came to mind. "Hm, maybe you should contact the Ninth about it, actually. Although it's from the alternative future, they were the ones that had bought the basic designs that actually went into Mini Mosca. I don't think the Ninth will try to make any claims, but he can provide the best lawyers, or maybe there's even some company involved with the Family he'd like to involve, you know? It would definitely show good manners on our part."

The both of them had talked about their future and about wanting to stay at Tsuna's side when the time finally came to take over the Family. For now, they were all still at school doing their best, though.

When Shoichi wanted to change the CD they were listening to, some sharp ended tool was lying on the one he wanted to put in.

"Aaaah, Spanner! Look at that! You're going to scratch my precious, new Blood and Peppers CD!" He whined. Why couldn't the other one watch out more for his things? Not only was it the new CD of his favorite band, but it was a gift from Byakuran on top of that!

* * *

Hearing Shoichi's suggestion at contacting the Ninth, Spanner stopped what he was doing, lifted up his goggles, and gave his best friend an appreciative glance.

"I've only ever thought of the Vongola Tenth, I never thought of asking the Ninth," the blonde mechanic thought out loud as he paused for a second in contemplation. "…How about the both of us contact him? Mini Mosca is a joint project between you and me, after all, so he's ours..."

Spanner trailed off as he heard Shoichi's loud whine. Immediately, he felt bad for being so scatter brained, but it wasn't entirely his fault for the incident.

"Sorry, Shoichi, I guess I wasn't paying attention. But if it's a precious, new CD, I would have thought that you would be taking better care of it and keeping it in its proper casing." Letting out a slight sigh as he rubbed the back of his head, Spanner offered his other hand out to the programmer. "Here, I have a resurfacing kit in my room. I can go and sleek it back up for you."

* * *

"Hmm, yeah, maybe you're right. We're working on him together this time." Still Shoichi had that feeling Mini Mosca was Spanner's pet project. Maybe it really was just their memories of the old future. It really wasn't like he didn't feel he was doing his best for their little robot, because he did.

"Wah...? What do you mean resurfacing?!" He asked then with a touch of desperation. Carefully lifting the offending tool off his CD, he took hold of it and lifted it up to inspect it. "That's the play side!" Of course he always put the label side to the ground, so the play side couldn't get scratched by tiny particles.

With a relieved sigh, though, Shoichi affirmed that the surface was unscratched. "Feeew, it's okay. Nothing bad happened."

He looked at Spanner then. "And what do you mean by 'keeping it in it's proper casing', _**Ulysses**_?" Pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose while peering at his friend, he allowed himself a very small smile. "I'll keep my CD's in their casing as soon as you keep your tools in their box!" A very pointy finger pushed into Spanner's upper arm.

* * *

Spanner let out another sigh once he heard Shoichi freak out at his mention of resurfacing. He was pretty relieved a second later when his best friend affirmed that the CD wasn't scratched, but still, seeing Shoichi freak out because of what he had said had instantly put him on edge. He half expected the older male to run out the door and into the Ghostly Menace's arms again.

Feeling the friendly jab in his shoulder a second later, Spanner chuckled and quickly moved his hands in to tickle Shoichi's sides for a second. The red-head's sides were almost as sensitive as his stomach, so Spanner knew how long he could tickle before he'd start hurting the other.

"Well, _**Sho-Sho**_," Spanner teased lightly as he tickled Shoichi's sides for a minute before backing off. "There's a higher probability for your CD's to get damaged out in the open, than it is for my tools. So, logically, I would think you'd take better care of them."

Chuckling to himself at how flustered Shoichi looked now after the tickle fest, Spanner basked in the familiar warm feeling that being with the other brought him. It had been so long since he had felt it last that it was more than welcome.

Feeling a little thirsty now after everything that happened, Spanner turned to Shoichi again.

"Hey, mate, since you're closer to the fridge, do you think you can grab us some things to drink?"

* * *

"Waaaaah! Naaahh...st-stop it... hahahahaha...ssssstooop...hahaha!" Shoichi was laughing and trying his best to bend and wiggle out of Spanner's reach. He was very ticklish. Spanner had jumped on this knowledge as soon as he had found out early on when they had started to live together. Only after Shoichi nearly passed out from not getting enough air because of his laughter did Spanner lessen the amount he used this technique, which was only to elicit short bursts of laughter.

After Spanner finally stopped, Shoichi panted heavily and sent a glare his roommate's way. "Your logic doesn't take into account the necessity to protect the weaker ones. Also, my hope is for you to take more care, 'cause my CDs aren't the only things getting damaged by your tools. Just yesterday I stepped into that socket wrench again," he grumbled, rubbing his abused side.

Straightening his lopsided glasses, he got up then. "Yeah, sure. What do you want? A Coke?" He was already making his way over to the refrigerator.

The young programmer remembered the can of coke he hadn't finished during his lunch break. He had put it back in the fridge. It might have lost its fizz, but that didn't matter too much as long as it still provided caffeine for his system. Looking in Spanner's direction as he waited on the other's answer, his hand reached in to take out the can. Since Mini Mosca still needed things to be in a specific place to find them, Shoichi was adamant about putting things where they belonged.

So, when he took out the cold can and took a good mouthful, he was more than surprised to find some disgustingly tasting, thick fluid in his mouth instead of coke. In pure reflex, he spurted the stuff from his mouth, spraying the vicinity with slightly yellowish, gooey droplets.

"What the...?" Shoichi spluttered, lifting the can to his face to look at the label. Instead of the soda, he held a can of machine oil in hand. Gagging, he jumped to the sink; washing his mouth with water a few times.

"Why the heck is there machine oil in our fridge?!" He demanded to know from his roommate, moving his tongue a bit awkwardly, since he still tasted some of the nasty oil.

* * *

"Hmm, I'm not sure…" Spanner let out with uncertainty as he wondered on what he wanted to drink. He had just known that he had wanted to drink something, and not exactly what he wanted. It also didn't help that Shoichi asked him if he wanted a coke. Did that mean that the programmer had only bought coke products again when he went to the store? He always forgot that Spanner preferred Pepsi…

While he was contemplating whether he wanted to ask his friend about what soda he bought, or whether he should just forget the whole thing and ask for a can of iced tea, he didn't notice the can that Shoichi was holding until it was too late.

"Shoichi, wait…!" The young mechanic called out as he moved his hand forward like he could stop the action from his sitting position on the floor. Sadly though, Spanner wasn't a Jedi, nor did he know how to effectively use The Force, so the can of oil did not fly out of Shoichi's hand. Instead, a portion of the contents went straight into his best friend's mouth.

Waves of guilt washed over the British teen as he watched his roommate spit out the oil and immediately start washing his mouth out at the kitchen sink. When the demand from the other flew his way, Spanner could only send Shoichi a sheepish, yet still completely guilty, look.

"Um…remember about Mini Mosca's new temperature sensors? I basically put the can of oil in the fridge as a form of refreshment for him, so when he knows he's getting low, he can just fill himself back up like he does with the condiments. I thought he'd enjoy the oil better if it was cold…"

* * *

"Let me get this straight…You put oil in the fridge, in the place where my coke was no less, because Mini Mosca might prefer a, 'cold', drink of oil?!" Shoichi's voice rose as he voiced his thoughts. He just couldn't believe how incredibly stupid that sounded. "He's a robot for God's sake! Even if you put temperature sensors on him, that doesn't make him have preferences for cooled, 'beverages'."

Still, the red-head had that offending taste in his mouth. He couldn't believe Spanner's idiotic excuse! Even though he hadn't swallowed any of the oil, he still felt his stomach turn. Of course this was just because he was all worked up now, but Shoichi couldn't think too clear about this at the moment. The one he had thought of as his best friend really cared more for that robot than he did for him! Spanner would put the oil for Mini Mosca in the refrigerator just because he thought he might prefer it that way (which was super stupid!), but he wouldn't put his damn tools back in their box so neither his CD's got scratched or he got hurt by them! Another pang of pain made Shoichi hold his stomach. Now he finally knew his place in Spanner's universe, didn't he?

"That's a machine we're talking about. He doesn't have any feelings or preferences. Treating him like a human being is just crazy." A groan escaped him as his stomach turned once more with the words he had just said. They were mean, and he knew it only too well, but there was no way he could take them back. With everything that had happened, and with his confused and hurt state, he couldn't apologize, either. Closing his eyes, he shook his head.

He needed to get out of here. He thought about saying something, but what was there to say? He didn't owe Spanner any explanation on what he did or where he went. Most likely, the other didn't care anyway as long as he kept working on his precious robot.

Not even getting his bag or anything, Shoichi just left. He wasn't even worth as much as a little robot. At least, not to Spanner. Holding his rolling stomach, the young programmer made his way to the next bathroom. A few moments later, the taste in his mouth was a different one, but not really any better.

He got out his cell and called Byakuran afterwards. He knew the other one had some late class today, but Shoichi wasn't sure if he was done yet. "Hi...Bya-kun, can...can we meet up? That coffee shop next to the physics library? Ten minutes?" Just hearing the happiness in the other's voice, and hearing him say he looked forward to it, calmed Shoichi. At least Byakuran made him feel like he was worth something.

* * *

Spanner felt a little insulted by what Shoichi was saying. The other was making it sound like he had switched the coke can and the oil on purpose (not to mention he was also making him sound like he was an idiot).

"Okay, first of all, your coke can was on the bottom shelf, and since Mini Mosca doesn't have stretchable arms, I logically placed the oil can where your coke was, and placed that, in turn, on the shelf above, so that Mini could reach it. Second of all, I didn't expect you to blindly reach in for your coke and take a swig of it without looking at what you actually had in your hand. Anyone who does that is just asking for trouble. I thought you'd be like everyone else and look in the fridge before you'd grab for something."

But no matter what he said, Shoichi didn't seem to be taking any of it in. When the red-head's next words came, the young mechanic felt like he had just gotten slapped in the face. Shoichi knew that Spanner got attached to his robots. He built them from scratch, and watched them grow in a sense, so all of them felt like children (of some sort) to him.

"The last time I checked," Spanner growled out in hurt as he glared at his sick looking friend, "we were making it so Mini Mosca could interact with humans and understand their speech; to make him feel like he was human in a sense, too. I'm sorry that I humanized him, and I'm sorry that I forgot to tell you about the oil, but don't fully blame this on me, because you were completely ignorant too."

It was no surprise what happened next. Shoichi was out the door as fast as his legs could carry him, and Spanner was left sitting in the living room livid and hurt. He had tried so hard not to start another fight with the other, but it seemed like no matter what he did, his faults would irritate Shoichi to the point he didn't want to deal with him anymore. In truth, Spanner felt that if that little incident happened last year, it would have blown over rather quickly and Shoichi would have actually listened to his reasons. But ever since Byakuran showed up (and Mimi too, for that matter) Shoichi had just been taking things way too sensitively now.

Spanner bet everything he had that Shoichi was running to Byakuran right now.

The stab of pain that coursed through the young British teen was immense then. Due to Shoichi's oversensitivity when it came to the smallest pet peeves, he'd rather run away from Spanner and to Byakuran than try to deal with the situation and work it out with him. It made Spanner feel like he was inadequate, like Byakuran was so much more preferable than he was. So, knowing that his best friend would rather hang out with an ex-psychopathic-marshmallow-loving-dictator of the entire universe than him, hurt beyond measure.

Spanner hated to realize that the anger and hurt he felt then was jealousy. Before he had even realized it, Shoichi had basically replaced him with a new best friend, and the blonde teen didn't understand why.

Feeling as sick to his stomach as Shoichi probably felt after drinking that oil, Spanner just dropped everything he was doing and headed to bed. He was too depressed to feel motivated at the moment.

But even as he tried to sleep, the sense of loss he felt then was too powerful, causing him to just stare at the wall uselessly and contemplate on how things had turned out so horrible between him and his best friend. All he could do was try to figure out why their fights hurt him so much to the point that he found it hard to even breathe.

* * *

Since his stomach was still pinching and uneasy, Shoichi opted for some plain green tea. He only had to wait a few minutes on Byakuran. When his friend arrived, one look at him seemed to be enough.

"What did he do to you?" He simply asked without any of the usual laughter in his voice or even the hint of a smile.

"N-nothing...It was an accident...I...I think," Shoichi mumbled. He was pretty positive Spanner hadn't done it to him on purpose and that he really was just oblivious to any feelings he had for him whatsoever.

"Sho-chan, stop protecting him. I know that look. Your stomach is giving you trouble again. He did something bad. Was it that girl again?" Byakuran leaned closer to the red-head. Reaching out, he stroked his head. "You shouldn't put up with that. You deserve better."

Shoichi's eyes flitted through the coffee shop as he leaned back, trying to escape the intimate gesture. "B-Bya-kun...d-don't...we...we are not alone," he whispered.

"Can't I comfort a distraught friend?" Byakuran asked, not waiting on the answer, but leaning in further and wrapping Shoichi in his arms.

The red-haired programmer's eyes went wide, but before he could even think about struggling, he felt a wave of warmth wash through him. He really, really needed this. It felt so good to be held and comforted. "B-Bya-kun...thanks," he whispered into the younger one's ear.

Held in his arms, Shoichi calmed down. He didn't argue too much when Byakuran decided that he had to sleep over again. With his pain at knowing he was worth less to Spanner than Mini Mosca still raw, he just didn't want to face his roommate. So, he gave in; spending the night on Byakuran's comfy couch.

Sometime during the night, he had caved in, and told Byakuran about everything that had happened. When he told the other that he still intended to get the program done, the white haired genius declared him crazy. Still, Shoichi had made a promise and a commitment. He wasn't one to go back on his word. When Byakuran once again asked him to move in, though, he started to falter. Of course he could not move during this school year. Their apartment was rented, and both of them needed to share that rent, but maybe he really should reconsider moving in together with Spanner again for next year.

Only in the early morning hours did Shoichi return home to shower, change, and get his books. He did his best to be quiet and not wake Spanner up. He wasn't sure he really wanted to face him just yet.

* * *

When the depressed mechanic opened his eyes, he was staring at the clock on his nightstand. This was strange because, one, he didn't remember falling asleep, and two, he was sure that the numbers on the clock were telling him it was past noon on a school day…

Jolting up into a sitting position with a start, Spanner ogled the clock like he was seeing things. Sure enough, it was close to one in the afternoon, and he was missing his classes. Groaning pitifully, Spanner took fistfuls of his messy hair and curled himself up into a ball. It seemed his days were only getting worse.

Deeming it pointless to go to classes now, and feeling no motivation to even get dressed or fix his hair, Spanner walked out into the living room to see that Mini Mosca was still sitting stationary on the floor. It seemed that Shoichi hadn't even bothered to turn him on to clean that morning.

Sighing to himself as he made his way over to the little robot, Spanner remembered that he was still in the middle of making that display screen across the robot's chest, so he couldn't turn him on until he finished it (he didn't want Mini to clean and get dust in the open cavity of his chest).

Not feeling up to working on the robot that seemed to be the only thing connecting him to Shoichi now, Spanner headed to the kitchen to try and find something to eat. On his way, he almost stubbed his toe on a socket wrench lying on the ground. Staring at the tool like he had never seen it before, the British teen contemplated on cleaning his tools up like Shoichi had asked. He knew it would be a pain in the ass on his part, and totally mess with his organization system, but if he actually heeded the other's words then wouldn't Shoichi be happy with him again?

Desperate to try and wash away the depression that coursed through him, Spanner got to work cleaning up his tools and reorganizing them in his tool box. It would be weird to deal with at first, but if it would make Shiochi happier and actually make him want to stay in the apartment more often, Spanner couldn't complain at all.

* * *

Before leaving that morning, Shoichi unhooked his laptop from Mini Mosca. For a long moment, he looked at Spanner's bedroom door. He would have to apologize for what he had said to his roommate eventually; although part of him thought he had had a right to say it.

Sighing, he left; turning the music up on his headphones to a loud volume to blow his mind clear for the day. Only his second class would have been a joined one with Spanner, but his roommate didn't show up. Was he sick? Slightly worried, Shoichi felt it couldn't be too bad, though, because Spanner had been good and healthy the night before.

When his advanced computer class rolled around, Byakuran was back to his old, happy self, and tried to stuff him with marshmallows. Shoichi couldn't help but be affected by the happy attitude.

After their work for the class was done, though, and the red-head started on his program for Mini Mosca, Byakuran crossed his arms in front of his chest and stopped working. "I'm not going to help that idiot any longer."

Looking to the side, Shoichi sighed. "Well, you don't have to. You never promised anything. But I did. Anyway, it's not for him that I'm doing this," -_not anymore at least_, he had to admit to himself in his head. "On the one hand, I really like that little robot, and on the other one, I'm written up for Spanner's team for that competition. Winning it will be good for my own career. So I'm going to get this done here and keep to my promise, too."

"So...it's for Sho-chan, right? And once you've got this done, you're basically free, right?" Byakuran asked him, looking him in the eye like he was searching for something.

"Well...yeah, basically. Maybe I have to install one or two new implements Spanner has yet to put into the little one, but that would be that," the red-haired programmer answered, shrugging his shoulders.

"I'll get you a coffee. You look like you need one." With that, Byakuran got up and left.

Shoichi had no idea what that had been about, but returned to working on the program. Only one, maybe two, sittings at the super computer were missing, and then he would finally be done. Pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose, he sank into his own world of code and typed away like crazy.

Unbeknownst to him, Byakuran looked up the next three teams that had working hours at the supercomputer. He made contact with them, persuading them in a very convincing mixture of threat and bribery, that they really didn't need to work on their projects today. Even though this took way longer than just getting a coffee, Byakuran still returned with two caramel mochas like nothing had happened, albeit grinning like the cat that ate the canary.

"Hihihi. You know those physics geeks that have the spot after us? I just heard that half their class is down with the flu. They just called in to cancel their spots today, and since I was just passing by the bureau and heard, I jumped on the opportunity. I gave up my coffees to secure the rest of the afternoon for us. Here's a new one." He shoved it into Shoichi's hand.

Wide-eyed, the red-head looked at Byakuran. "Wow! Really? That's incredible! I mean...I feel bad about the physics guys and all, but...but that's just great. And you reacted so fast! Thank you, Bya-kun. You're the best!"

"Hahahaha, thanks Sho-chan! I know!" Byakuran flashed his trademark grin and toasted with the coffee.

After that, he eventually joined in again and the two of them worked until the programming for Mini Mosca was finally done. Shoichi then downloaded the final program to his laptop.

"Thank you so much, Bya-kun. I really appreciate your help in this. I would have needed almost double the time without you."

"You sure would have, hahahaha. Will you come over tomorrow to work on our game, Sho-chan?" Byakuran asked, planning on hogging Shoichi's free time now as much as possible.

"Hm? Yeah, yeah, I'll come over, sure." Already the older programmer was thinking of installing this program into Mini Mosca to finally have him able to understand them and react in his own ways.

They parted ways in the late afternoon, and Shoichi went straight home. Only when he opened the door to find Spanner there, did it hit him again. In his excitement about the finally finished program, he had forgotten about their parting yesterday.

"H-Hi, Spanner...Are...Are you feeling well? You...You missed classes today," he stuttered, blushing slightly in shame at remembering the worst thing he had said to the other one yesterday. He really shouldn't have called Spanner crazy.

* * *

The young mechanic overlooked the spotless apartment with a triumphant smile. All of his tools were in his tool box, and he had spent the rest of the afternoon cleaning up the apartment in Mini Mosca's place. The actions of cleaning that he had always thought to be troublesome had somehow become therapeutic in a way. Wait until Shoichi saw what he had done!

Just as he thought this, the man of his thoughts walked through the front door. Shoichi seemed surprised to see him, but Spanner felt immense relief at seeing the other. He didn't know why, but just having Shoichi around him made him happy; despite the way they parted the other night.

When he heard his best friend's question and the slight concern in his voice, Spanner realized he had forgotten about forgetting to go to class. Not to mention, he must have looked horrible then with his hair all in disarray, the bags under his eyes from lack of restful sleep, and because he was still wearing the same clothes from last night. Strange…he hadn't noticed that before, but he must have been so depressed yesterday that he hadn't changed into his pajamas.

"Oh…Um….I'm fine…" The blonde teen sort of lied (he was feeling a little better after all) as he rubbed the back of his head. "But I should be asking you that question more. Did the oil upset your stomach last night? Are you feeling okay?"

As he asked this, Spanner made his way closer to the other, scrutinizing him to make sure the other wasn't hiding if he was still ill.

"I'm really sorry about yesterday," Spanner apologized whole-heartedly once he was done checking the other over for signs of illness. "I get so focused on things sometimes that I forget everything around me. I should have told you about that oil last night…I'm sorry."

* * *

Spanner's usually gel tamed hair was at least as wild as his usually was, and his eyes were slightly red with dark shadows underneath. Immediately, Shoichi was worried about the other one. He looked like he had a rough night, and his day didn't seem to have been much better.

"R-Really? Are you sure?" He asked carefully, eying his roommate as he came closer. "Me? Oh...Oh yeah, I'm okay. I was lucky I didn't really swallow too much of it; maybe a drop or two. I did spit it out instantly."

Only when he said that did he realize he never cleaned up the mess he had caused! That realization made his eyes flit into the direction of the kitchenette. What the...? As his eyes scanned the room, he was sure he could see blinking, glinting surfaces everywhere. No tools...There were no tools strewn around the floor! Everything was spotlessly clean and all things seemed to be put away in their containers, from the tools being in the toolbox (supposedly), to his CD's in their cases.

While he realized this, he heard his friend apologize to him. Shoichi's gaze focused on Spanner again. "I...I really should have looked at the label before taking a sip. And...And even more so...I'm...I'm very sorry for what I said, Spanner. I was...upset. I didn't mean it. I know how attached you get to your robots, and there is nothing wrong with that."

Shoichi tried for an encouraging smile then. "Very soon, Mini Mosca will even be able to appreciate the way you care about him." Shoichi patted the bag that held his laptop. "It's finished. If you'd like it, I could install the program tonight. Mini Mosca will really be able to understand us, and with your display, he can answer us, too." Hoping they might have a chance at salvaging their friendship at least, the young programmer looked at the mechanic questioningly.

* * *

A sigh of relief left the British mechanic's lips after he heard that Shoichi was alright (he definitely looked fine too, so he wasn't lying), and a soft smile adorned his features when he heard his friend apologize as well. They both had been out of line in some way last night, but now it all seemed to have blown over, and they could try to coexist peacefully again.

Hopefully, they wouldn't fight anymore.

As Spanner thought this, Shoichi's next words took him by surprise. The program was done? But how did the other get it done so fast? Wasn't he a bit ahead of schedule?

Wanting nothing more than to ask this question, but knowing that Shoichi was eagerly awaiting his reaction, Spanner tried to figure out how he felt about the news. Surprise was one of them, of course, but the young teen couldn't stop the wave of worry that consumed him. After this, Shoichi was done with the programming of Mini Mosca, and was only needed for some fine tuning, if anything at all. Did that mean that he'd hardly see Shoichi anymore? Would he be hanging around Byakuran, "The Nutty Marshmallow Whore", more?

Even though he was worried about all of those things, Spanner still couldn't quell the excitement he felt at how Mini Mosca would be transformed with this programming. With an excited gleam in his eyes, Spanner reached forward and tousled Shoichi's hair with his hand, just like old times.

"Of course mate, just give me a bit. I still haven't finished that monitor," the young teen spoke with a bittersweet smile. "How about we finish him up together?"

And with that, Spanner made his way over to the little robot that awaited him, feeling like he was participating in some sort of death march. He tried to suppress that feeling with the hope that Shoichi would want to hang out with him sometime after this was done, and that he'd want to be part of Mini Mosca's, 'life', with him. After all, like Shoichi said, he did get rather attached to his machines, so it wasn't any surprise that Mini Mosca was like a child to him. He was his and Shoichi's creation, so that made him their baby in a sense.

At that thought, Spanner could feel his stomach tie into knots and a blush rise to his cheeks. What? Why was he reacting like that?

* * *

Shoichi was a bit taken aback at the lack of reaction he got. He had been sure Spanner would be super excited at finally getting the program that truly would bring Mini Mosca to life. But not only did it take a moment for Spanner to finally react at all, when he did, it was only an unspectacular gleam in the other's eye.

Nonetheless, his roommate reached out to mess up his hair. The light fluttering of his stomach that usually accompanied the gesture was absent this time. Maybe he was finally getting used to Spanner just being a friend and nothing more? Smoothing his disheveled hair as best he could, Shoichi straightened his glasses after that.

"Yeah, mate, that sounds like a plan."

He followed his roommate over to Mini Mosca and the lack of the usual excitement in the other one hit him even more. Sure, he hadn't expected Spanner to jump up and down in barely contained excitement, but he at least thought the other would have a sort of spring in his step. Happy anticipation, or at least a total focus on the task at hand, would have been normal. Instead, Spanner blushed all of a sudden.

"Ehm...Spanner, are you sure you're alright?" Shoichi asked with renewed worry. Before he could stop himself, he had reached out, and touched the back of his hand to his friend's forehead to test for a fever. "Hm, you feel only a slight bit hot," he decided, which could easily correlate with the blush, too. "Maybe you shouldn't work right now and lie down instead. I could wake you up when I'm done," he offered then.

* * *

When he felt the back of Shoichi's hand on his forehead, Spanner felt his cheeks become even hotter at the spark the touch elicited within him. Usually, Spanner wasn't the touchy feely type (which was another reason why he didn't like Mimi too much), and also, he was usually the one who initiated any affectionate contact (hair tousling, tickling, massages) between him and Shoichi, so when the other touched him suddenly, it surprised him like nothing else. At least, that's why he assumed his face felt like it was heating up enough to explode.

"Um, I'm okay, Shoichi, really," Spanner consoled as he gently pushed the other's hand away. "I'm probably just a bit tired from the cleaning I did today. If I lay down now, you'd have to wait for me to install Mini Mosca's test screen when you woke me up anyway. I don't want to make you wait, so I'll just buckle down to work, okay? I'm fine."

And with that, Spanner diverted his eyes away from the other as he put on his work gloves and goggles, and started messing with the wiring in the little robot's chest cavity. It was hard for Spanner to completely focus, though, because he could feel Shoichi's eyes on him every once in a while, and he would admit that he was also going purposefully slow, just so he could make this collaboration with the other last all the more longer. Spanner had no idea if this would be the last time or not. He couldn't predict Shoichi's mood swings anymore. Hell, he wouldn't be surprised if the other stormed off in the next minute just because he breathed wrong or something. Sometimes, it felt like Shoichi was leaving because of small little things like that (okay, his example was beyond ridiculous, and probably a little wonky, but it was a point all the same). So really, could anyone blame him for taking his time and relishing in the feeling this moment gave him; even though it was awkward all the same?

* * *

The red-head dropped his hand fast once it was pushed away. He shouldn't have done that, now, should he? It was just what his mom and sister always did when he was sick, but Spanner wasn't too fond of getting touched.

"Well...if you say so," Shoichi answered, doubt evident in his voice. Even though he was the older one, Spanner was a grown up man and had to decide for himself how to handle his health. Regardless of those doubts, the young programmer smiled then. "Yeah, you really made the room shine. You even put away all your tools. It looks really good."

Shoichi got the laptop from his bag and wired it up to the little robot. Once more, they worked together in amicable silence. From time to time, he looked up to watch Spanner. Usually, his friend was faster in his work, but as tired as the other one looked then, it was no wonder, was it? With a bit of worry for the mechanic, Shoichi checked on him; especially when Spanner was welding, because even a microscopic ounce of sleep could be fatal in that situation.

After about two hours of uploading and integrating the current systems into the new program, Shoichi stretched himself copiously with a relieved sigh.

"All done. Everything should work just fine now. Tell me when you're done, so I can hook up the screen's systems, too."

He got up and went to the fridge. "What do you want to drink?" He asked. This time Shoichi took more care and checked before he took out a can of cooled coconut water.

* * *

Before Spanner knew it, two whole hours had passed by, and Shoichi was finished with his programming. The young mechanic was going so purposefully slow with his tinkering that he was surprised Shoichi hadn't brought it up yet…or yelled at him for that matter. Instead, his best friend just asked him to tell him when he was finished, and asked, of all things, what he wanted to drink.

Spanner dropped the screwdriver he was working with at those words, and almost effectively cut a long line across the back of his hand in the process, but thankfully, he moved his hand away in time. Turning around to face Shoichi with slight fear in his eyes, he mumbled out, "A can of green iced tea. It's in the top right corner in the door compartment."

Almost immediately, the British teen felt foolish for giving directions and for reacting in such a way. Why did the thought of Shoichi running away again scare him so much? Spanner feared he was beginning to act like a loon.

Rubbing his temples and the bridge of his nose with one of his hands, the blonde teen apologized.

"Sorry, Shoichi. I just…never mind. I'll be done with this screen in a bit, so just give me a few more minutes."

And with that, he got back to work again. He saw his friend set down the can of iced tea next to him out of the corner of his eye, but Spanner couldn't bring himself to face the other due to his embarrassment. In just a few short minutes, though, he finally finished his task, so he had no choice but to gather himself and face Shoichi again anyway.

"Okay, I've finished. Now you only need to do a little more programming."

After he said this, Spanner sat down more comfortably and opened his green tea can. He sipped on it lazily as he watched Shoichi type away at his computer. Before he could stop himself, the question that had been plaguing him for the last couple of hours resurfaced to the forefront of his mind.

"Um, Shoichi?" Spanner cautiously asked, wincing afterwards for what he was bringing himself to do. He was going to sound so pathetic. "After this is all said and done...Mini Mosca will be officially done for the contest. Um…it's been a really, _**really**_ long time since we did anything together besides work on the little bloke, so I was wondering…do…do you want to hang out or something one of these days?"

* * *

Over the music going on in the background, Shoichi had a hard time understanding the mumbling of his roommate. "_Really, Spanner!"_ He thought, rolling his eyes a bit. Only knowing the other one this long made him puzzle together what he had meant with the words "tea", "top" and "door".

Heading back with the two cans, Spanner apologized to him. Shoichi could only assume it was because he took so long in putting in that screen. "Sure, you just take your time," he answered, shrugging when he put down the green tea beside Spanner. It was the kind that was heavily flavored with honey, and so sweet that he thought he could actually feel his teeth crumble after one sip, but of course that was the only kind the mechanic would like to drink.

Settling in his spot again, he took a sip of the coconut water. He really felt like putting that cold can against Spanner's forehead, but held himself back. He wanted to salvage their friendship, not drive the other one away. All he could do was wait patiently on his sick friend to finish up with his work.

"Ah, okay, this'll take a few moments..."

He started hacking away the moment Spanner gave his go. While he installed the drivers, though, his friend spoke up hesitantly. The question really surprised him. With all that had happened between them, the other really wanted to spend some time just hanging out? Maybe...Maybe Spanner felt like saving their friendship, too? His fingers slowed to a stop, and his head came up to look into his roommate's baby blue eyes to judge his intentions.

"I'd like that," he decided, only finding a spark of hope in the other's eyes. "Maybe we can watch a few more episodes of Star Trek? I was really looking forward to Spock's Pon farr to tell you the truth," he laughed softly. Seeing that logical and pretty cold character become all passionate had always fascinated him. He felt himself staring at Spanner. Damn. His gaze dropped back to the keyboard and his fingers started working on their own again. Don't blush! Please don't blush!

"Uhm...uh...I could cook up something, too. You've got anything you'd really like to eat?" He kept his eyes on the keyboard, not daring to look the other in the eyes again. Why? Why was it so hard to stop feeling this way for Spanner? It was more than clear that his feelings were unrequited, and then there was Byakuran, who showed real interest and made him feel good. Why couldn't he just be friends with Spanner with no hopes, and no yearnings for more?

* * *

When Shoichi told him he'd like to hang out with him again, Spanner's eyes lit up with hope as he stared at the other.

"Really?" He mumbled out almost in disbelief before he agreed to the other's suggestion. "Yeah, Star Trek sounds brilliant. I've always been fascinated with Spock's Pon farr, so I would love to hear your thoughts on it when we get to it."

The young mechanic could feel a fluttering in his stomach as happiness consumed him. Shoichi still wanted to spend time with him! Did that mean he wasn't completely replaced? Did that mean he had a chance to make up for everything he had done to upset the other (even though he never could figure out what he had done most of the time)?

"Mmm…I haven't had your cooking in a while," Spanner practically salivated as he closed his eyes and thought of the nutritious food. "Truthfully, I don't mind what it is as long as I can…"

Spanner paused for a second as he opened his eyes and realized what he had thought of saying next. His stomach twisted nervously into knots again to the point the British teen thought that Shoichi's stomach trauma must have been contagious.

"…um…as long as I can learn how to cook it with you," Spanner almost stuttered out in embarrassment as he rubbed the back of his head and averted his eyes from the other. The young mechanic swore he could feel that mysterious blush coming back. "You've been making so much stuff for me, I feel like I should do it from time to time, too."

After he said that, Spanner could distinctly feel how dry his throat was. Not sure on what was exactly happening to him at this point, the blonde teen took his can of iced green tea and chugged half of the contents, trying to rehydrate his throat. Maybe Shoichi was right; maybe he was coming down with an illness.

* * *

"My...My thoughts on the Pon farr?" Shoichi's eyes went wide. No, Spanner could have no inkling that he was thinking about that! "Yeah, yeah sure," he continued fast. There were enough nerdy answers to that out there that had nothing to do with a calm and contained guy becoming all hot and passionate. "_Damn, and here comes that blush I fought_," the programmer realized in quiet desperation.

While Spanner thought on what he wanted to eat, Shoichi tried to calm himself. Only then his friend stopped in the middle of his sentence and turned silent. The red-head couldn't help but look up then. What was Spanner about to say?

"Oh," he said in surprise. A small smile tugged at his lips as he waved his hand dismissively. "You know I like doing that."

Byakuran and his offer came to mind then. Shoichi had no way of knowing what would happen between him and Byakuran, but he had actually thought about moving in with his genius friend, hadn't he? It would be good, not to mention a relief, to know Spanner could take care of himself and cook some decent meals, at least.

"If you're really interested, I'd be glad to show you some easy recipes. How about we start with teriyaki shrimp? Once you know how to make the basic sauce, it's easy to vary and adapt it to different ingredients."

With renewed worry for his friend, Shoichi witnessed Spanner draining half his can in one go. "Is your throat sore?" He asked. "I only need ten more minutes, so once we check up on Mini Mosca to see if he's working, maybe you should really go and lie down, Spanner." His fingers started to type again. He needed to get this done. If his roommate was coming down with a cold, it couldn't be too good for him to sit on the ground right now.

* * *

Thinking over Shoichi's suggestion for teriyaki shrimp as he tried to feel if his tea helped his throat, Spanner almost didn't notice Shoichi's question.

"Oh? I'm not sure actually," the British teen confessed, noticing how his throat was still a little parched, but it was better than before. "Yeah, maybe I will do that after we check on Mini Mosca."

Spanner watched on then as Shoichi typed on his computer faster than ever. The young mechanic felt a little touched by the other's sentiment, and was glad to know that his relationship with Shoichi was beginning to mend once again.

When his red-headed friend finally finished with his programming and asked Spanner to turn their robot companion on, Spanner did just as he was told after he unplugged Shoichi's computer from Mini Mosca's back. The two gathered around the little robot as he booted up, beeping once in confirmation when he was fully online and operational.

"Hello, Mini Mosca. How are you?" Spanner asked gently as he watched carefully for what the little robot would do next.

Mini Mosca slowly glanced between Shoichi and him before text started moving across his screen.

"Something is different with me," the robot responded as he made various beeping noises. It reminded Spanner of R2-D2 in a way.

"He can tell the difference in his programming, Shoichi!" Spanner exclaimed in his quiet excitement as he peered at his friend from out of the corner of his eyes, and sent the other a huge smile.

Turning his attention towards Mini Mosca as Shoichi explained to the robot on what happened to him, Spanner finally said, "Mini Mosca, I'm Spanner, your mechanic, and this is Shoichi, your programmer. We created you together."

The little robot processed that information for a bit before he asked, "Does that make you my masters?"

Almost immediately, Spanner didn't like the word the little robot had used. He hated to think that the robot he and Shoichi had created together was a slave for them. Sure, he was a chore bot, but still…

"No, no!" Spanner immediately answered as he tried to explain. "We're not your masters. We're like…your parents. We're family, right Shoichi?"

Just when he asked this, Spanner turned to completely face his friend in question, and it just so happened that Shoichi turned to face him when he answered, too. Due to the fact that their heads were already huddled close together to read Mini Mosca's display screen, this meant that when they turned to face each other at the same time, the two boys found themselves just inches away from each other's face. The blonde teen's baby blue eyes widened in surprise at the close proximity. He couldn't remember a time he had been so close to the other. Now with the distance so short between them, Spanner could feel Shoichi's breath hit his lips, and see surprise reflected in those dark green eyes. Speaking of eyes, the young mechanic felt himself become mesmerized with Shoichi's. He had always known they were a dark green, but now on closer inspection, Spanner could see lighter green flecks in his irises. It reminded Spanner of emerald gemstones with how the different cuts in the stone would reflect a lighter or darker green color depending on how the light reflected it.

Finally realizing what he was doing, Spanner jumped and quickly turned away from the other, an embarrassed blush spreading across his cheeks as he averted his eyes away from Shoichi.

"So…um…what should we do with Mini Mosca now, Shoichi?" Spanner asked quickly as he rubbed the back of his head.

* * *

The programmer stood up as his friend unhooked his laptop and turned on their pet project. Joining Spanner, the two of them stood over Mini Mosca as he started up. This was really a momentous event. In many ways, this was the real first time they had turned their little robot on.

Shoichi cringed a bit at that first question Spanner asked. It wasn't a logical question. There had been programs in the past that had just failed at these kinds of question. Trying to compute something they didn't understand, their programming had run in circles and eventually shut the system down. Well, it would show if Shoichi had done everything right. He could have gone the easy way, pre-programming standard answers to questions like these, but he didn't.

With Byakuran's help, they had worked hard on Mini Mosca's ability to understand and solve problems. So this little robot came up with an answer to the question all by himself. It might not be what was expected, but it was a perfectly reasonable answer.

"He understood your question for starters and even found a suitable answer," Shoichi exclaimed, just as excited as his roommate.

He then went on to explain the new situation to little Mini Mosca, which the robot processed for a moment. Intent on seeing what their invention would make of that, Shoichi leaned in a bit more to gaze at the screen. The conclusion Mini Mosca came up with was interesting to the programmer. His friend seemed disturbed by it, though, and came up with something else.

The explanation caught Shoichi a bit by surprise. He turned to face Spanner, only to be even more surprised at how close they were to each other. Their faces were mere inches apart. Spanner's baby blue eyes went wide and Shoichi felt he looked the same. His heart skipped a beat, only to start up again at double speed. Warm breath, that smelled of sweet honey, ghosted his lips. Just a short distance. Just a few inches. Shoichi felt a massive pull to close this distance, to taste Spanner's lips, but before all rationality could leave him and he did something he would regret, Spanner jumped back.

In a bit of shock, so did Shoichi now. What had he been thinking? "W-Well, he should stay on, so he can learn. May...Maybe we should tell him to look around the apartment and get to know where we have put our things. Now he is able to recognize things and remember where they are." His stuttering stopped after he had straightened his glasses and calmed down a bit again. He knew it was hopeless to think of Spanner in that way. It was just the awkwardness of the situation that had thrown him!

* * *

"Y-Yeah, let's do that," Spanner immediately agreed, desperate for a distraction from the rapid beating of his heart.

And, just like that, Spanner and Shoichi gave Mini Mosca a tour of the apartment; the both of them pointing out specific things they wanted the little robot to remember. To Spanner's great delight, Mini Mosca didn't seem like he was being overloaded with information, and was able to efficiently store the data he was given. His and Shoichi's robot was a hard-working, intelligent machine!

Even though the young mechanic wanted to stay up and test Mini Mosca out more, Shoichi insisted that he go to bed because of how sickly he had been looking the whole night. Sighing in defeat, Spanner bade Shoichi and Mini Mosca goodnight. When the little robot beeped back in farewell, Spanner saw the gentle smile Shoichi sent his way as he wished him a good night as well. Just that look sent the British teen's heart into a beating frenzy, and his cheeks to become inflamed again. When Spanner closed his bedroom door, he leaned up against it as he clutched a hand over his erratic heart.

"I really must be sick," he mumbled to himself in confusion as he thought over all the weird reactions he had that night. "What else could cause this?"

Fearing to delve into his thoughts on the subject even more, Spanner just shook his head to clear his mind and changed into his pajamas. That night, Spanner slept far better than he had the previous night, because of the hope he felt for his and Shoichi's friendship. They hadn't set a date, but Spanner was looking forward to the day they could spend time together cooking and watching their favorite show.

* * *

Shoichi didn't want his friend to overexert himself when he wasn't feeling too well. He insisted on Spanner going to bed when they were really sure Mini Mosca understood them just fine, and when he had stored the information on their most important possessions.

After he had sent the mechanic to bed, Shoichi kept on telling and showing the little robot a few more things. Although Mini Mosca was their chore bot, there were a few things the little one wasn't to do. The programmer told Mini Mosca that he was not to touch his CD's unless he explicitly told him to. The metal cases of his gadget fingertips might possibly scratch the delicate surface, which he wanted to avoid.

He also told Mini Mosca to leave any tools lying on the floor alone, so the little robot would not unsettle Spanner's system. Although all the tools had been in the box when he had arrived, they would be in there in a special order, and if the mechanic wanted Mini Mosca to put the tools away, he would have to teach him that order by himself. For now, most tools were strewn over the floor again, but with his friend sick, and the way he had shoved him off to bed, that was his own fault in a way.

Before heading to bed himself that night, Shoichi neatly put away his used CD's; wanting to keep the beautiful order that had welcomed him when he had arrived.

Three nights later, they had their Star Trek night. It was really fun. Shoichi went out during his lunch break to buy fresh shrimp and some vegetables. They started out by preparing and cooking the food. Since the red-head's spirits were high, because they hadn't fought at all these last days, he even fried the vegetables tempura style. It was easy to show Spanner how to prepare things, but he had a very scientific way to go about things, though.

Shoichi had to laugh when Spanner asked for the exact thickness and angle to cut the vegetables, but since he was a geek himself, he had no trouble adapting to his friend's style and directing him that way. Spanner even analyzed how the sugar in the teriyaki sauce caramelized in the frying pan, coating the shrimp with that shiny glaze that gave it its name (shining-grilled).

With the food ready, they made themselves comfortable on the couch and watched a few episodes of classic Star Trek together; munching on their delicious food first, and then having Mini Mosca make them some buttered popcorn.

When the episode came around that they both had been looking forward to, their discussion was lively. Shoichi actually told Spanner that he loved the change in Spock's character in that Pon farr episode. This time around, though, he was prepared and didn't get flustered. Of course, he kept to himself how Spanner sometimes reminded him of Spock in some ways. Sure, the mechanic had a different way of being detached, but detached he was...and also calm...and a bit cool, too. Shoichi couldn't help but wonder if there was anything that could make a change come about in the other man that was even remotely close to the change Spock went through in that episode. Maybe not. His friend had always been calm and contained.

That night really was fun, but it had to end sometime. The following days, Shoichi rarely went home again, and when he did, it was for sleeping and changing. With the night they had worked on Mini Mosca and their Star Trek night, plus the two nights in between where he had studied like crazy, the programmer had neglected Byakuran and their game. The competition wasn't far off now, so they had to work hard to get everything done.

Even though Shoichi was rarely at home, he did realize, with dismay, that chaos started to spread again. During those four days he had been around, everything had been in order and clean. Spanner had kept his tools in his box when he wasn't tinkering, the kitchenette had been spotless, and things were generally in their places.

When the red-head came home after classes a few days after their Star Trek night, though, he promptly stepped onto a wrench halfway hiding under the couch. There were also three coffee cups, a plate dumped in the sink, and some books laid strewn over the floor. When he opened their refrigerator, nothing was in its allotted place except for a glass of mustard that was used rarely.

His hands went for his head, pulling at his hair. What had happened?! It had all been perfect just a few days ago. Their apartment hadn't been this chaotic since...since...maybe the end of the last school year a day before they had moved out!

A soft whirring and beeping alerted Shoichi to Mini Mosca's presence, and with that, the little robot started up his vacuum cleaner feet and went his way around the room, cleaning the few spots that were not occupied by books and tools.

A somewhat hysterical laugh left Shoichi's lips.

* * *

The two days after they had finished Mini Mosca were filled with studying as the two boys rushed to prepare for the tests they had in their classes. Spanner didn't mind, though, since Shoichi was in a good portion of his classes, so he stayed home and they studied together.

When the third day rolled around, they finally had time for their Star Trek Night. It had been beyond rejuvenating for Spanner, and easily lifted away the rest of his depression. Cooking with Shoichi had been more fun than he had ever thought it would be, and he paid careful attention to every detail his best friend gave him concerning the dish they made. The young mechanic even went so far as to get minute details like thickness of the cut vegetables in order to remember everything perfectly. Later that night, when he was alone in his room, he would write down the recipe in great detail, keep it somewhere safe, and title it, "Teriyaki Shrimp the way Shoichi likes it", so that he'd always remember.

The rest of the night went by spectacularly. Spanner talked to Shoichi about anything and everything Star Trek, throwing out his theories and listening to his friend's in return. The British teen also remembered the extensive one they had on Spock's Pon farr once they reached that episode as well.

But sadly, as much as Spanner wanted the moment to last, it had to end. The next few days sent Shoichi to Byakuran's most of the time for their GAG (gruesome action game), which caused Spanner to spiral back down into his depression. He knew he was being ridiculous, and not to mention childish, but he just couldn't help but feel extremely jealous that Byakuran was receiving Shoichi's undivided attention, and that he was being ignored.

Those next few days, Spanner had no idea what to do with himself. He was no longer motivated to keep the apartment clean like Shoichi liked it (why should he when Shoichi hardly came home, anyway?), and he would fiddle around with making new creations, but he'd give up half-way through, not sure on what he was trying to make. The only thing that seemed to save him from the overwhelming loneliness was Mini Mosca. The robot would stay close by Spanner when he wasn't cleaning, and Spanner would converse with him, sharing his thoughts and worries concerning Shoichi.

One day, the blonde-haired teen was in his room studying at his desk when he heard hysterical laughter coming from the kitchenette. This surprised Spanner beyond belief because, 1) it sounded like Shoichi, 2) he didn't expect Shoichi to come home this early (it would always be in the wee hours of the morning), and 3) the kitchenette was right by his bedroom, so the laughter was quite loud and startling.

Rushing out of his bedroom in worry, Spanner made his way into the kitchenette where he saw Shoichi laughing while Mini Mosca vacuumed the floor.

Not understanding what was so funny about this situation, Spanner couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong, Shoichi? You sound like you're going to go bloody mad!"

* * *

"How?!" The red-head blurted out when Spanner came running from his room and into their kitchenette. "Please, tell me how one person by his sole, lonesome self, creates such chaos in just a mere few days!"

Usually, Shoichi was the nice boy from the neighborhood. He was so good-natured that people who didn't know him too closely even considered him a doormat. He wasn't, though. The programmer had a hidden strength and innate power that now shone through. Without those, he never would have made it up the ladder in the Millefiore Family in their old future.

"Maybe you're right; maybe I am going mad, because I must be seeing things. Just a few days ago you had no problems keeping this place tidy with your tools in the box, and the used cups and dishes were neatly put away in the dishwasher. What happened? Look at this place!"

His arm went wide to encompass the whole room in a sweeping gesture.

"With all your stuff strewn over the floor, even Mini Mosca has trouble keeping it clean. He can only maneuver so much around!"

Shoichi's eyes were glowing a dark green behind his glasses as he stared at Spanner, demanding an answer.

* * *

When the yelling came, Spanner practically flinched away from the other. Shoichi's reaction was so surprising that it even caught Mini Mosca's attention, who stopped vacuuming the kitchen floor to observe the two of them. Spanner really felt guilty as the heated words of his best friend hit him. He sort of had an answer to the other's questions, but then, he also didn't at the same time.

"I…I don't know," Spanner mumbled out as he averted his eyes away as feelings of jealousy resurfaced within him. "I guess…I just felt like there was no need to clean if you weren't even going to spend time here…"

The blonde teen could tell that Shoichi really wanted to say something after that, but before his best friend could, Mini Mosca rolled up to him and poked Shoichi's leg to grab his attention. Since Spanner was close to Shoichi, he could see the sentence that rolled across the little robot's display screen. What he saw made his eyes widen to epic proportions.

"Mommy? Why are you mad at Daddy?"

* * *

Spanner's answer was halfhearted at best, but the second sentence was just audacious. '_I live here!' _That was what Shoichi was about to shout. Only, he never got around to that.

Mini Mosca poked him in the leg. The unusual gesture made him look down at the little robot. Across the screen in his chest rolled words he did not want to believe. Shoichi blinked a few times, while his body tensed. When he stood back up, his back was rigid.

"Tell me, Spanner, why is it that Mini Mosca thinks of me as his _**mom**_?!" Even though the red-head didn't shout anymore, there was a dark menace in his voice that left no doubt about how mad he really was.

In a gesture that usually calmed him, but somehow looked more like a threat at this moment, Shoichi straightened his glasses.

His stomach started to churn. These last days he had been so relieved not to be bothered by this, but right then, his anger and the growing hurt riled up his nervous stomach once more.

Why was it that Spanner thought of him as a girl? Why did it still hurt so badly, although he had heard Spanner insinuate this once before? He shouldn't care. He really shouldn't. He shouldn't still harbor some teeny tiny bit of hope. But he did, he still did after all that had happened.

"I'm no woman. I don't appreciate you saying anything like that to Mini Mosca."

He bent over the little robot.

"I'm not you're mommy, Mini Mosca. I'm your programmer."

When he got back up, his glare was just withering.

* * *

Cold dread washed over Spanner's body as a cool, collected glare was sent his way, courtesy of Shoichi. And as the red-head adjusted his glasses, Spanner could feel his throat run dry with apprehension. He had never expected things to turn out like this (or at least he should have, but he wasn't thinking at the time). It had been so long since he saw a look like that cross Shoichi's face that the young mechanic was almost paralyzed with fear. Before he could try to come up with an answer, though, he saw his best friend bend forward and corrected Mini Mosca on how he addressed him.

If Mini Mosca could tilt his head to the side, Spanner was certain he would have done it in that moment, because he stared at Shoichi, then glanced at Spanner, and then back to Shoichi again as his inner gears turned.

"Does not compu—" Mini Mosca beeped out through text, but before Shoichi could see the whole thing, Spanner quickly rushed over and covered the display screen with one of his hands.

"How about you go and clean my room, Mini Mosca?" Spanner quickly offered as he nudged the little robot to the side and away from the fuming Shoichi a couple feet from them. Mini Mosca beeped in assent and started moving towards the room in question like nothing had happened, leaving Spanner to face the wrath of an enraged Shoichi. The young mechanic was sure that if his programming friend had been a robot, he'd be fried into dust from a laser weapon of some sort by now.

"Um…it's kind of a weird story…" Spanner started to finally explain Mini Mosca's mishap as he rubbed the back of his neck and averted his eyes away from Shoichi's burning ones. "It happened…yesterday, I think…but Mini Mosca was asking where you were, because he hadn't seen you for a few days. I told him you were at work and I didn't know when you were coming home, but after that, something strange happened. His next message said, 'Aren't parents supposed to stay together?' I didn't know what to really say to that…"

The blond teen let out a deep sigh as he continued.

"I just told him that you weren't gone forever, and that you'd come back sometime, but then he asked a totally different question after that. He said that he read something on parents consisting of a mommy and a daddy. I don't know where he got that information at all! And then he asked me which of us was the mommy and which of us was the daddy," Spanner mentioned as he finally looked into Shoichi's eyes, showing how surprised he really was. "I was put on the spot so quickly, I just thought things over and designated you the, 'mommy', because you cook for me most of the time, and you always nag about the cleaning. That's what mom's do, right? So, I thought it fit. And then I told him I was the, 'daddy' then, and he, thankfully, left me alone after that. It was bloody mental. I didn't know what to think!"

* * *

_**Does not compute?**_What the heck had Spanner taught Mini Mosca?! Shoichi was beyond livid by now. Most likely to spare their, "kid" having to watch, "mommy" and, "daddy" fight, Spanner sent Mini Mosca into his room then, even though the little robot's sensitive audio sensors would still easily pick out every word they were saying.

"I bet..." Shoichi mumbled as his roommate began to explain himself. With the way the other one couldn't stand up to his gaze, he knew Spanner had something to feel guilty about.

Since Mini Mosca had an integrated, wireless, permanent line to the internet, he must have tried to gather more information on their by Spanner suggested family unit. That's where that idea of the little robot's must have come from.

Finally, the other one looked at him again, his face actually showing surprise. So he was telling him it was just a, "spur of the moment", thing and that's how it was supposed to blow over?!

"Did you already buy the frilly apron, too?" Shoichi asked, his voice as cold as the north wind. "So, you're actually holding it against me that I care enough to prepare food for you and dare to insist on order and cleanliness in the apartment I live in?"

He saw Spanner's eyes grow wide. By now his stomach was rolling again, but Shoichi kept it together. He did not intend to show any action in front of his roommate anymore that might be considered weak or girlish.

"Don't worry, _**mate**_, I will not keep on, 'nagging'. You can drown in your chaos if that makes _**Daddy**_ happy."

Shoichi turned around, went to his room to grab his bag, and left.

"_**Cooking, nagging, mommy." **_ Those words echoed through his mind, haunting him. Outside, he took some moments to deeply inhale the fresh air in hopes of calming himself and his stomach, but that just wouldn't help. At least he still had some Tums in his school bag from their last period of fighting.

Taking some out, he chewed on them before he started making his way across campus. He needed a sympathetic ear and the warm happiness Byakuran provided.

* * *

When Spanner heard Shoichi's reaction, his eyes widened in fear. Shoichi was taking this whole scenario completely wrong! It was like he fully believed that the young mechanic thought he was a woman!

Before Spanner could open his mouth and insist that it was the only thing he could come up with at the time, Shoichi's next words felt like a stab to his gut. His words had sounded so final, and Spanner hated how Shoichi had used his own personal vocabulary against him. He hated when Shoichi did that! It made him sound like he was stupid! That fact made it hurt even more, because Shoichi always told him that the British terminology he used from time to time was charming, so when it was used against him in a derogatory way, it made it seem like Shoichi had lied to him.

Halfway between anger and fear, Spanner almost didn't notice Shoichi storm out of the kitchenette and to his room.

"You're taking this the wrong way, Shoichi!" Spanner finally said as he raised his voice in slight desperation. "I don't think of you as a woman at all! It was just your personality traits that made me decide who would be who in that moment. Can't you at least take that as a joke?!" But apparently, Shoichi couldn't, because he stormed out of the apartment without a word.

Spanner hissed in dismay as his hands came up to press against his forehead; his fingers digging deeply into his scalp as he bowed his head. He had really screwed things up. If only he had kept up with the cleaning instead of wallowing in jealousy…

Speaking of that jealousy, Spanner could feel it coming back in waves now; cascading against his stomach, and making him almost want to throw up. He knew that when Shoichi was upset with him, he'd undoubtedly run to Byakuran. And when that usually happened, Shoichi would ignore him and avoid him even more.

The young mechanic's jealousy immediately transformed into anger at the thought. Just what the hell was Byakuran saying to Shoichi? Was he purposefully trying to keep him away?

…

Well, Spanner decided then that he was going to find out.

Turning around to face his bedroom door, the determined teen was surprised to see Mini Mosca standing in the doorway and staring intently at him.

"Why did Mommy leave again?" Were the words that rolled across the little robot's display screen.

Spanner didn't even bother to correct the mechanical contraption as he got to his knees in front of Mini Mosca and placed his hands on his shoulders.

"Your mommy went to go see a possibly deranged friend, so therefore, he might be in danger," Spanner explained with all seriousness as he gave his precious robot his next command. "I want you to follow Shoichi to that man's apartment and spy on them through the door with your infrared camera. Make sure you stay hidden out of sight at all times, so if you have to follow Shoichi by heat signature instead of sight, I'd understand. I want you to show me the exact route it takes to get to Byakuran's apartment, and record the conversation your mommy has with him. Do you understand?"

Mini Mosca beeped and whirred for a good minute as he processed the task information.

"Understood," the little robot finally beeped out before he gave a suggestion of his own, "Do you want me to upload a live feed to your computer?"

"…Yes," Spanner confirmed with a small smirk after a moment of deliberation. Seeing it live would probably be better, and he'd be able to keep in contact with Mini Mosca during the process through the radio signal.

With that, the two parted ways to do their respective jobs. Mini Mosca automatically turning on his infrared and following Shoichi's heated footprints out the door, and Spanner heading into his room to his computer. Unlike Shoichi, Spanner had a desktop computer to store more information and to set up special equipment for Mini Mosca. Putting on a headset nearby, Spanner opened a window for Mini Mosca's personal live feed that he had programmed himself when Shoichi was busy programming the robot. Immediately, Mini Mosca's personal signal connected to the computer, and Spanner was able to see the robot moving down the hallway; currently using infrared vision. Tuning the frequency of his headset to the little robot's specific frequency, Spanner adjusted the microphone on the headset and talked into it.

"M Squared, this is Alpha Wrench, do you copy, over?" Spanner spoke curtly as he used the code names he incorporated into this system. Almost immediately, the young mechanic heard a whirr of beeping in response. The only thing he regretted about the system he was using at the moment was that there was no way for Mini Mosca to be able to send him text along with the live feed. So that meant that he couldn't understand the robot, but at least the robot could understand him.

"Alright, operation: Stealth Mode commences," Spanner commanded over the air. "Find Shoichi, over."

Mini Mosca beeped one more time in assent over the air before he did as asked, finding his mommy with relative ease outside the apartment building. Hiding behind a nearby tree, the robot switched to regular camera mode and zoomed into Shoichi's face, giving Spanner a very up close look of how upset Shoichi seemed to be at the moment. The young mechanic swallowed audibly at the sight, his guilt consuming him as he noticed Shoichi was chewing something. The only thing Spanner could think of in that moment was Tums for the other's bad stomach aches, which only made Spanner feel even guiltier. Before he could wallow too much, though, he saw his friend move from his spot and start walking away.

* * *

Never in his wildest dreams did the red-head think he might have a tail. Oblivious, he went along his way, only stopping at a shop to buy a bag of chocolate filled marshmallows. He himself wasn't too much into these sweets, but Byakuran loved them. He would never understand how the other one could eat so many of them in a row without throwing up. With his little gift, he arrived at the other's apartment.

"Hahaha, it's Sho-chan! I thought you wanted to study at home today...?" Byakuran's laughter stopped when he had a closer look at Shoichi. "He's done it again," he accused.

The white-haired teen wrapped his arm around his friend, pulling him deeper into the apartment as he shut the door. "Drop off your bag and sit down, Sho-chan," he commanded after leading the red-head to his couch. "I'll make you some green tea."

At the moment, it felt so good to Shoichi to be cared for in this way that he just did as he was told. Moments later, Byakuran put a cup of hot green tea before him.

"Now, tell me, Sho-chan. What the hell did that guy do to you again?"

Shoichi didn't hold back. He couldn't. He told Byakuran how their apartment was in chaos and how Spanner had complained about his supposed nagging and even held his cooking against him.

The more the young programmer told his friend, the more agitated and flustered he got. "If…If he had just kept the apartment clean, I...I wouldn't have reason to complain, you know? And I care about his bad eating habits and try to make him eat some decent meals by cooking for him at least, and that makes me girlish in his eyes?!" Shoichi shook his head, still not believing his supposed friend's behavior.

"He's an unrefined idiot. The best chef's in the world are men, and there is nothing remotely girlish about that. He just doesn't deserve your concern and care, Sho-chan."

Slowly, the red-head nodded. "But the most humiliating thing was him teaching Mini Mosca that I was his _**mommy**_. His _**mommy**_! I have no idea what he's done to that robot, but he wouldn't even accept it when I tried to tell him differently; telling me that me being his programmer wouldn't compute!" Big green eyes looked at Byakuran then. "Do I seem like a woman to you?" His question almost sounded desperate at that moment.

He may never have had real sexual feelings for girls, or women for that matter, and he might have a little quirk where order and cleanliness were concerned, but that certainly did not make him a woman!

Caught up in his thoughts, Shoichi missed how Byakuran came closer. He was only back in the moment when the other's hand cupped his chin, Byakruan's pale face up close to his own. Violet eyes burned with passion and sugary sweet breath ghosted over his lips. "You most certainly are not a woman, my cute Sho-chan," Byakuran confirmed. "I would never be so turned on by you, if you were..."

Shoichi's eyes went wide. There was no laughter in the other's voice, and no glint of mischief in his eyes. "B-Bya-kun...?" he mumbled softly, uncertain. As he watched on, Byakuran closed the short distance between them, his lips touching Shoichi's in a feather-light manner. Contrary to his lustful words, the kiss was soft and chaste. Before Shoichi knew it, he had closed his eyes, just enjoying the new feeling. He was blinking and slightly dazed when Byakuran ended their kiss, smiling at him.

"You look incredibly cute, freshly kissed...hihihihi," the white-haired man laughed.

Instantly, Shoichi blushed at these words. "B-Bya-kun! I...what…why did you...why...did you do that?" He was surprised and overwhelmed, and flustered, too.

"Because I wanted to, of course, hahahaha. And for a pretty long while at that, too! My Sho-chan is so much cuter than he realizes himself. If dumb Spanner-kun can't see that, and scorns all that was offered to him, then he just doesn't deserve it. I'm different. I won't let this opportunity slip by to get my hands on the most delicious sweet around."

Shoichi swallowed hard at this answer. He wasn't really sure he was, 'cute'. He wasn't even sure if he felt comfortable if he was. But Byakuran was right in one point. Spanner had had his chance, and he obviously didn't want him. For Byakuran on the other hand, things seemed different. He was interested, and Shoichi definitely knew he liked being around the other. Maybe...?

"I'm not a chocolate filled marshmallow, though," the red-head put in with a smile then. "Which reminds me..." He leaned to the side, getting the bag of marshmallows out and handing them to his friend. "It's just a little appreciation for you always being here for me."

"Hahaha, maybe you're not, but you taste at least as good!" Byakuran laughed, and laughed even more when he got the bag. "Hmmmm, you know exactly what to get me!"

* * *

Mini Mosca was tailing Shoichi perfectly. Spanner noted that he was keeping the right amount of distance away, and Shoichi seemed completely oblivious to him. When his friend bought the chocolate filled marshmallows, the young mechanic couldn't help but gag. He loved sweets, but eating too many of those things would be nothing but trouble. Also, since they were definitely for a certain crazy clown, it made them extra disgusting.

After that, Shoichi finally arrived at Byakuran's apartment with Mini Mosca observing from around a nearby corner. The Marshmallow Menace answered the door and immediately started accusing the young mechanic the moment he saw Shoichi.

("He's done it again.")

"_Done what again?_" Spanner automatically thought, completely confused as to what Byakuran was referring to. Did the other come up with something to poison his image in Shoichi's mind? But why would he do that? What would Byakuran gain from that?"

When everything was said and done, Byakuran ushered Shoichi inside, and Mini Mosca took the chance to move over towards the door, immediately switching to his infrared camera as he pressed up against it. His camera was precise enough to see through into the other room.

Once refreshments were apparently made, Spanner saw the thermal images of Shoichi and Byakuran sit on the younger man's couch.

("What the hell did that guy do to you again?") He heard Byakuran utter through his headset, causing the British teen to seriously become concerned. Byakuran made it sound like he physically abused Shoichi! What the hell did he do again, indeed! He would like to know as well!

After that, Shoichi reiterated what had happened in their kitchenette not twenty minutes ago. Spanner could feel his heart sting with every insinuation his best friend came up with for the scenario. Okay, he might have complained about the nagging (it did get irritating after a while, but that was normal!), but he never held Shoichi's cooking against him! He loved Shoichi's cooking, and loved it even more that his friend wanted to do that for him!

("…makes me girlish in his eyes?!")

Spanner's mind practically screamed, "_No!_" at that. "_I don't think of you as a girl at all, Shoichi! I even told you that before you left!_"

("He just doesn't deserve your concern and care, Sho-chan.")

The young mechanic, whose eyes were previously wide with surprise from Shoichi's statement, now narrowed into slits at Byakuran's next words. "_Oh? And you deserve it more? That's saying something coming from a mass murderer who took over the world in hundreds of universes, and ruled them as a dictatorship just because he was bored. How the bloody hell can this rabid, marshmallow licker think he knows who deserves what?!_" Spanner heatedly debated within himself. Byakuran was going way out of line with his words, and Shoichi was being way too overdramatic about the smallest things again.

Spanner's anger immediately turned to hurt the instant he heard what Shoichi said next. His best friend was complaining about being called, 'Mommy', by Mini Mosca. The young mechanic didn't know why it hurt so much to hear those words, but he had assumptions as to why. In truth, he held the word, "mother", in high esteem. It was a strong, powerful word that he looked up to, because he had never had a mother (not literally, of course, but figuratively). His kooky grandfather was nowhere close to comparison when it came to a motherly figure, so in his eyes, a mother was someone strong, independent, nurturing, and warm. When he had told Mini Mosca that Shoichi was his mommy, it had been the first thing that came to mind to get him out of the situation, but, truthfully, the reason why he thought of it so fast was because Shoichi fit all the criteria perfectly. 'Mommy', had never been an insult in Spanner's mind. If Shoichi hated it so much, then he wouldn't mind switching the names around for Mini Mosca, but he felt like he couldn't live up to the title that came with mother. Shoichi was far more warmer and nurturing…

The next thing he heard caused Spanner to feel hurt even more. Shoichi insinuated again that he had done something to Mini Mosca to make the robot firmly believe in what he had said. Truthfully, he never expected the, "Does not compute", line to flash across the little robot's screen, but he had seen where the sentence was going, and jumped in to block it all the same, to try and not cause Shoichi more anger. He had no idea why Mini Mosca couldn't understand the switch in title, because he had so easily accepted, 'Daddy', and, 'Mommy', over, 'Mechanic', and, 'Programmer', beforehand. It made no sense as to why he couldn't switch it back around, though…

Spanner was so deep in thought that he almost missed what happened next, and in a way, he wished he had. The image might have not have been as clear as a regular camera would be, but even with the infrared, the young mechanic could tell that Byakuran had Shoichi in a very suggestive position. Spanner could only gawk as he overheard the white clown mutter how attracted he was to Shoichi before he closed in for the kiss.

The British teen didn't know what to feel after that. All of his emotions seemed to shut down due to the shock value he felt. He could only stare at the screen wide eyed and unbelieving. When the kiss was over, the two exchanged some cutesy dialogue that brought Spanner back to his senses, and made him want to vomit all over his monitor. Rage began to burn inside him, and he couldn't tell why it was there.

("If dumb Spanner-kun can't see that, and scorns all that was offered to him, then he just doesn't deserve it.")

Hearing those next words from Byakuran almost made Spanner boil over the edge. It took everything he had not to yell into the microphone and blow Mini Mosca's receiver. Scorn?! _**Scorn**_?! When the bloody hell had he ever _**scorned**_ anybody?! He would never purposefully hurt Shoichi, and the young programmer in question should have known this! But Shoichi wasn't objecting!

…Scratch that, he was scorning this very moment…Why did he feel so utterly betrayed?! Why did his chest hurt so much? And why couldn't he get that kissing scene out of his head? He could even remember how their faces turned a darker red on the infrared from the body contact. It was an infuriating image…

…Spanner felt sick to his stomach.

("I won't let this opportunity slip by to get my hands on the most delicious sweet around.")

Those last words rang continuously inside Spanner's head. They were dark and foreboding to the distraught teen. What did this man want with Shoichi?! Why was he trying to take the other away from him?! And why! Why did the thought of losing Shoichi hurt so much?!

And then, suddenly, everything clicked. The way he had been feeling towards the other for who knows how long, his disinterest in Mimi, his depression when Shoichi wasn't around, the way he idolized the other man in his head…

"Abort mission, Mini Mosca," Spanner uttered despondently into the microphone, completely forgetting about calling the robot by his code name. The little robot beeped in response and started moving away from the door.

Spanner just watched this unfold with vacant eyes as he came to the most startling conclusion of his life. He was in love with Shoichi, and he had been for a very long time.


	4. Chapter 4

Hi there, here's the fourth chapter, and once again I've invited AdaraLove to say a few words. Thanks everyone for supporting us and I hope you'll enjoy this chapter, even though it's choke full of drama ;D

_Hello again everyone, this is AdaraLove speaking this time! I just want to thank all the reviewers and followers we have for this story of ours! It really makes Ethelwyn and I happy to see that people are enjoying the role-play we've worked so long and hard on! Don't hesitate to share your thoughts with us, and for new readers, please make your presence known as well. We really appreciate every review we get, even if they're a few words long =)_

_**Warnings for this chapter:**__ Prepare yourself for some loop-de-loops and some seriously dramatic spirals in this roller coaster of a chapter! But please remember that things always get worse before they can get better ;D_

* * *

**Chapter 4_  
_**

Even though the kiss had been nice, it was too new to Shoichi, and he was still too confused about his remaining feelings for Spanner, and the ones blossoming for Byakuran, for him to continue that way. Before his pale friend had a chance to get too comfortable and try again, the red-head insisted they work on their game.

"You can be such a party-pooper, Sho-chan! Hahahaha. Okay, okay, we really don't have that much time anymore, so let's work."

This granted Shoichi some time to think. He couldn't deny he still had feelings for Spanner, otherwise it wouldn't have hurt so bad to...to...

"…_**get scorned**_"

Byakuran's words popped right into his mind to fill that void. He had offered the mechanic all of him. He cared for him, cooked for him, and yes, he insisted on order, but only to have a nice home (!), and he committed all of his free time to Spanner's pet project. But while he had worked on Mini Mosca, Spanner had gotten himself a girl. Wasn't that all the answer Shoichi needed in the end? A girl. It would, and it _could_ never be.

And then there was Byakuran. He had been there whenever he had felt bad about something Spanner had said or done. He knew how to make him feel better. They shared at least as many interests as he did with Spanner. And contrary to the young mechanic, Byakuran had just made it very clear that he was interested in him.

Feeling wanted for the first time was a very powerful feeling. Shoichi couldn't help but turn his head to look at the other at this thought.

"Hmmm, Sho-chan, you just have no idea what you're doing looking at me like that..." Byakuran's voice dropped to a suggestive whisper.

The red-haired programmer's face lit up a bright red. "Ehm...I...Bya-kun…" Shoichi mumbled insecure.

"Don't worry, Sho-chan, I won't jump you, hahahaha. Although I wouldn't mind another taste of those deliciously soft lips..." Once again the younger man flashed his trademark, closed-eyed grin.

Shoichi managed to hold this second kiss off until late that night; right before he left Byakuran to head home and get some sleep. All the way home he touched his lips, remembering that soft meeting of their mouths. It made his stomach flutter a bit, but in a good way.

When he came home, only Mini Mosca was to be seen to acknowledge his arrival. This suited him just fine. He felt his stomach tense up just at the thought of seeing Spanner at the moment. Somehow he felt a bit guilty about what had happened between him and Byakuran. But really...that was just dumb, right? He wasn't even sure anymore if he and Spanner were still friends. Nonetheless, he somehow didn't want the other to know about the kisses. Most likely, Spanner would either be disgusted by him or feel confirmed in his view of him as, 'the girl'. Just thinking about that made Shoichi's stomach act up again.

He really needed to relieve some stress! He couldn't eat Tums like they were popcorn anymore! Before sleeping that night, Shoichi went online to look up suggestions on relieving stress. The first suggestion that came up for 'relief' was out of the question at the moment, no matter what had happened between him and Byakuran. He still had to figure out his own feelings some more, and he definitely wasn't _**so**_ easy! But after looking through the suggestions some more, they came up with yoga pretty regularly. That was supposed to calm one down pretty well and was healthy, too. With the way he was sitting during most of his day, it should be good for his back and shoulders as well. Looking further, he found there were some courses in sports studios around the campus. There was going to be one the very next afternoon, so Shoichi signed up for that. He really hoped that could help him.

* * *

Spanner's memory was fuzzy for the rest of the night. His whole body was in shock from the experience he had just taken part in, and he couldn't seem to get his brain to function regularly again. The kiss scene played over and over in his head, mocking him, and frightening him. Why? Why did he have to feel this way? And why about his best friend of all people?!

The young mechanic knew that his friendship with Shoichi would never be the same again; if it was still there at all.

The one thing that finally woke Spanner up from his stupor was when Mini Mosca came in and told him that, 'Mommy', had come back, and was, of all things, looking up yoga on the internet. Spanner assumed that the robot either saw this himself, or he knew about it through the shared Wi-Fi they had for the apartment (oh wait, that's how he figured out about that 'mom' and 'dad' stuff!), but that didn't change the fact that the thought of Shoichi doing yoga was surprisingly stimulating for him, and horrifying. Just imagining the image of Shoichi doing yoga positions with Byakuran beside him almost made the British teen want to throw up again.

Just wanting to forget everything to save whatever sanity he had left, Spanner went to bed early that night.

Sadly, the blonde mechanic wouldn't have any respite. That night, he dreamt of Shoichi walking away from him towards Byakuran, the taller man smiling all sweetly until Shoichi reached him. When they both started walking away, the crazy clown turned to send a triumphant smile his way, an unnerving glint in his eyes as he wrapped an arm around Shoichi's shoulders and walked away. No matter how hard Spanner ran, he could never catch up, and Shoichi would eventually disappear.

For the rest of that week, Spanner hardly saw Shoichi. The depressed teen assumed he was either with the Marshmallow Whore or going to those new yoga classes Mini Mosca had told him about. When he did see the other, it was in passing, and neither of them would make an effort to make conversation. Spanner didn't know what to say. He was still upset with how Shoichi thought so low of him in comparison to Byakuran, and he was also trying to get used to the fact that he finally realized he was attracted to his best friend (who was a man, by the way!).

Spanner didn't like the fact that he was attracted to his friend, and was surprised he hadn't realized his feelings for the other over the past six years they had known each other. He knew that being in love with the programmer would do no good (despite Shoichi's apparent sexual orientation from the video he saw). Shoichi acted like he wanted nothing to do with him anymore…

…And that very thought crushed Spanner like nothing else.

Despite how he didn't want to love his best friend, it didn't change the fact that he did, and every single thing in his life seemed to remind him of it. From the apartment, to every single memory he had of the other, these new realized feelings would smother him and torture him with the fact that his newfound desire for the other would never come to be. Even his sleep was ridden with Shoichi. Every nightmare he had of losing the other completely, to the new found fantasies he began to have, Spanner never got any sleep, and the ensuing exhaustion, coupled with the depression he felt for not having Shoichi beside him, had caused him to almost stop eating. He didn't know what to do anymore!

It came to the point that Spanner couldn't take it any longer. He had to talk to Shoichi to at least apologize and set things straight between them. It had been almost a week now, though, so he wasn't sure if Shoichi would even hear him out anymore, but he was willing to try.

When Shoichi came home after classes that early evening, Spanner was sitting on the couch in the living room waiting for him (he had skipped his last class to make sure he caught the other).

"Shoichi, I…" Spanner started as he stood up from the couch, but his words caught in his throat at the sight of an unwelcome intruder walking in behind his best friend.

What the bloody hell was Byakuran doing in their apartment?!

* * *

That first yoga lesson overwhelmed Shoichi. For the first time in ages (at least that's what it felt like to him), he could drown out all his troubles, clear out his mind, and feel all anxiety lift off his shoulders. His stomach stayed calm even two hours later when he had to endure a whole class with Spanner.

Granted, that next day his muscles were sore like nothing else, and he barely was able to move around, but he still craved the calming sensation the new sport offered to him. It also offered respite from the two men in his life.

Shoichi always left even earlier in the morning now to jog, so he didn't have to face Spanner too much. They saw each other in classes, but since the other didn't try to strike up conversation with him, he was fine with it. They would just start to fight again, right? At night, he always returned pretty late, and since Mini Mosca was up and running perfectly, there didn't seem to be much reason for the other to stay up late, so they conveniently missed each other then, too.

Byakuran, on the other hand, tried to spend as much time with Shoichi as possible. It was good to spend time with his friend, of course, but since their first kiss, Byakuran wanted more. He had started to become...handsy. The red-head was good at evading it and getting his genius friend to work on the game instead, but it was still hard to deal with. So, being in yoga class was a convenient excuse for why he had no time for stuff like that.

Shoichi couldn't even say why he was hesitant. Was it all just going too fast? He couldn't really claim that either. It wasn't like Byakuran was all over him, but he had started to touch him more, first hands, then arms and shoulders. He even had put his arm around him, which was just a bit intimate, right? It was nothing too...forward. They weren't blushing teenagers or anything, and of course there were desires.

Yes, there were desires. Definitely, but more so from Byakuran than from him at the moment. It was still too new for Shoichi; he was sure that was all it was. It wasn't like there was anything to stop him from an intimate relationship with Byakuran. And he wanted that. Yes. Kissing did feel nice. And there were nicer things to come still, right? Sure.

Since his friendship with Spanner had thinned so much they barely talked at all, Shoichi had real inhibitions about being at home in his free time. He didn't even feel comfortable studying in his own room while the other was there, too, since they usually just sat around the main room together. It just felt weird, like he would shun the other (not realizing that avoiding him really wasn't too much better).

"You're coming over today, and I won't take no for an answer, hahaha!" Byakuran laughed as he surprised Shoichi after class.

"I...I do?" The red-head asked, taken aback. Sure, he had wanted to do that, but only after some time in the library.

"Yes. I'm gonna cook for us...well, I'm gonna order for us, hahaha. And then you'll study, and I'll watch you and be all well-behaved, so my Sho-chan will do well on the next test." The usual trademark grin accompanied this plan.

If Byakuran really promised to behave, that plan actually sounded nice. He wouldn't have to care about cooking or cleaning afterwards, and he could really get some studying done!

"And before we head over to my place, we'll drop by at yours so you can get some CD's to help you learn, and that book and set of notes you promised me."

Shoichi felt a warm feeling flood him at Byakuran's consideration. He really did learn better with good music in the background. Although there were a few bands they both liked, his pale friend's taste in music wasn't quite like his. So for him to offer Shoichi to bring some of his music over was really sweet. Because he was so focused on this thought, though, he never saw that dark gleam of mischief in Byakuran's eyes.

The pale man's plan couldn't have worked better. As they walked in, there he was; Spanner-kun. Byakuran's face lit up behind his closed-eyed grin. "Hi, Spanner-kun! Long time no see! I trust you're feeling well, hahahaha?" He greeted the other like an old pal he hadn't seen in a while, and in a way, they were, right?

Shoichi had no inkling why, but his face turned a crimson red when they suddenly ran into Spanner. Well, it was their apartment of course, but Spanner was supposed to still be in class! Just one look at the other told him that the mechanic was shocked to find Byakuran in his home. Well...it was his home as well, and he could bring friends over, couldn't he?!

"I just came to get some things. We'll be out of your hair in a moment," he declared to Spanner.

At least Byakuran showed real manners by greeting his roommate like that, even though Shoichi knew that the other was really mad at Spanner for the things he had done to him.

"Don't forget the notes and book you promised me, Sho-cha~n," Byakuran smiled over his shoulder.

"Yeah, right..." Shoichi looked a bit insecure, wondering if it really was safe to leave those two alone, but he had no choice, had he? He would just have to find the things he needed fast and see to it that they left the apartment. With one last look to make sure that everything was still okay, he made his way into his room.

Stepping a bit closer to the mechanic, Byakuran grinned in a pretty menacing way. "Man, you really blew it big time, hahaha," he laughed softly, making sure Shoichi couldn't overhear. "You know that little robotics thingy you built that trashcan for? It's held the same time as our big programmer's competition. With the way you treated our sweet Sho-chan, he's already decided to be with me at the main event." His evil grin only grew wider. "And to think...sweet Sho-chan was so head-over-heels for a loser like you…Well, not anymore. Hahaha. He's mine now and I won't let him go."

* * *

The young mechanic was so surprised by what he was seeing before him that he didn't register that Byakuran was talking to him like an old time friend. All of a sudden, disgust flooded him to the point that he barely heard Byakuran's and Shoichi's conversation. All the British teen knew was that Shoichi had vanished somewhere and that the white clown was making his way closer to him, a menacing glint in his eyes.

For a moment, Spanner felt his heart stop cold at the drastic change in attitude; the taller man's glare penetrating him to his core.

But all too soon, the shock he felt turned into anger as Byakuran laughed in his face about the predicament he was having with Shoichi, and that anger grew steadily stronger when the paler man called Mini Mosca a trashcan! The anger consumed Spanner to the point that the blonde teen didn't know what to do with himself anymore. Quicker than he could expect, though, his mood did another 180 degree turn as shock overtook his system again. Byakuran had declared that the competitions that Shoichi had entered himself into were on the same day, and that he had chosen Byakuran to compete with.

Spanner's eyes widened in complete astonishment, more for the fact that the competitions were on the same day than for the latter portion about Shoichi's choice, but was it true? Did Shoichi really know about the competitions being held at the same time, and had he already chosen who he was going to be with on that day?

The young mechanic could feel his heart clench painfully in fear that Byakuran's words were correct, but just as soon as he wanted to call the taller teen out on this and tell him that Byakuran was the one that took advantage of his and Shoichi's misunderstandings, and that he hadn't done anything purposefully wrong, the white clown bestowed another blow onto him; one that Spanner was nowhere near prepared for.

Shoichi had been in love with him.

Spanner could only stare at Byakuran in the most dumbfounded manner; his brain completely shutting down at the words he heard. Shoichi had…what? Really?! How?! Why didn't he realize?! Wait! _**Had**_?! What did he mean by '_**had**_'?! _**What**_?!

He was so lost in his train of thought that he barely registered that Byakuran was walking away from him now and going to find Shoichi, but as soon as he noticed the taller teen turn around and move away from him, Spanner instinctively shot out his hand to grab the white-haired teen's arm. With strength he didn't know he possessed, he squeezed the arm in his hand like a vice and made the deranged clown turn around to face him again. Spanner wasn't sure what to think of at the moment, due to so much information being dumped on him at one time, but he did know one thing for certain; Byakuran was being way too cocky and conniving in this situation.

"Is toying with mine and Shoichi's emotions some bloody _**game**_ to you?!" The young mechanic hissed out through clenched teeth and narrowed eyes; a burning fire emitting from his baby-blue irises. "What happens when you get bored of this? Of Shoichi?! Will you just throw him away like an empty marshmallow bag?! Answer me!"

* * *

Each and every word he uttered elicited a delicious reaction. Byakuran enjoyed the obvious cluelessness of the other one. He really had no idea that Sho-chan had been in love with him. But since Spanner just stood there, thunder struck, the little game became boring really fast. For a supposed genius he was pretty slow, huh?

Byakuran turned to leave for Shoichi when a hand, that was way stronger than he expected, gripped his arm. His brows drew together and his eyes glared menacingly when he faced Spanner once again. A bit surprised, he took in the fire in the other's eyes. "_Oh? So there were actual feelings involved on Spanner's side, too, huh? If Sho-chan had any inkling of that_..." But Byakuran would make sure that would never come to pass.

"It's fun to toy with your emotions at least. You get so easily riled up..." He grinned in a superior way, looking pointedly at the hand that still gripped his arm so hard that the knuckles were showing white. It would cause a dark bruise on his pale skin, but that actually played right into Byakuran's hands. "Don't get your hopes up, Spanner-kun, you won't get to pick up the pieces. Once I'm done, he'll even forget about your name. Like I said, he's mine now, and I intend to keep him, hahaha. He tastes even sweeter than marshmallows, did you know? Ah... I forgot, you wouldn't." An air of absolute superiority surrounded the white-haired man then as he grinned challenging at the mechanic.

* * *

Each word uttered by the white menace built up Spanner's anger to the point that he was about ready to burst. The thought of losing Shoichi forever was beyond any pain he had ever experienced before. In Spanner's small little world of robotics, there remained only two constants in his life, his grandfather and Shoichi. He considered both of them to be his family; his _**only **_family. If he lost one of them…Spanner was sure he wouldn't be able to handle it very well. Not at all…

It was like Spanner forgot himself then; forgot where he was. The hands he used to constantly build machines with were putting their strong muscles to use by completely constricting Byakuran's arm. The young mechanic didn't know he was practically blocking the blood flow to the other end of the taller teen's arm, nor would he have probably cared, all he was concerned about was taking Shoichi as far away from the mad man before him as possible. He wouldn't lose the person he cared about most!

"Heh…I shouldn't have expected less from a previous dictator," Spanner practically snarled into Byakuran's face. "The only way you know is destruction. If you can't have something you want, you find a way to take it for yourself without any care towards the people around you. Everything's a game to you, and all you know is how to _**destroy**_. Do you really think Shoichi will be able to put up with that _**when**_ he finds out about you—about this? I distinctly remember him going against you in our old future because of that very reason."

This thing between Byakuran and him wasn't over. Not by a long shot. When Spanner found himself about to lose everything he cared for, he just wasn't going to sit back and let some psychopath take it from him!

"So listen here you mental fruit cake," Spanner continued just as menacingly, surprised with himself for how he was behaving (he didn't like direct confrontation, so what was going on?!). "I'm not going to let you continue using Shoichi as a bloody chess piece! He deserves so much better than a nutty marshmallow fairy like you. I might not be the best for him either, but I'm way more deserving of Shoichi than a nutcase like you would ever be! The only thing you like about Shoichi is his body and the challenge of winning him over! Any person who tries to hurt another in order to have them for themselves is beyond undeserving of any form of love. It's no wonder why you don't have any friends."

* * *

"I know how to take what I want, unlike you," Byakuran pushed a bit more. The flow of blood to his lower arm had stopped. First his fingers, and then his hand tingled disturbingly. "Oh yes, this is a game, and I'm winning, Spanner-kun. Only, Sho-chan isn't just the Queen, he's the price, too," Byakuran winked with a grin at that; even though his arm was hurting pretty bad by now.

Then the moment he had waited for arrived. Shoichi emerged from his room right at the moment when Spanner snarled at him that he didn't have any friends. With a pained groan Byakuran sank to his knees.

"I... I'm sorry, Spanner-kun! I know...how hard it is to... believe I'm a changed man...I don't...blame you for still harboring rage for what I did...but please...I need that arm..." Beseechingly, he looked up at the mechanic.

Shoichi just couldn't believe what he was hearing and seeing when he reentered the main room. He had feared the two might not get along too well, but he had never thought Spanner would actually attack Byakuran!

"Spanner! What do you think you're doing?!" He ran over to the two of them. "Let go! You're hurting him!" His roommate was looking at him aghast, and didn't quite seem to understand him. He tore his hand away.

"Byakuran are you okay?—Spanner, what the hell...?"

The white-haired genius sighed in relief as his arm was finally freed. As the blood flooded back into the extremity, it felt almost worse for the first few seconds. Still, he got up and smiled sadly. "It's okay, Sho-chan. Don't be mad. Spanner can't forget about the past. I don't blame him. How can I with all I've done?" He rubbed his arm, helping the circulation along.

* * *

To the young mechanic's surprise, Byakuran didn't react the way he expected him to. All of a sudden, the man dropped to his knees and started putting on a cheesy, overdramatic act in front of him. Spanner was so surprised that he didn't notice Shoichi was there until the older male was yelling in his face, saying he was hurting the faking clown. The blond teen could only stare aghast at his friend, shocked that Shoichi actually believed the fake act Byakuran was putting on until he felt Shoichi's hands pry his hands off of the white-haired teen's arm.

"I'll tell you what the bloody hell is wrong," Spanner growled out, wanting nothing more than to throw up at Byakuran's following act. That nut was trying to come off as the better person! "Byakuran is playing you for a fool, Shoichi! He just told me that he's been trying to ruin our friendship so that he can have you all to himself! I got angry, and was just trying to tell him to back off, when you stopped me."

* * *

"I am sorry you feel threatened just because I am spending some time with Sho-chan..." Byakuran said softly, shaking his head in dismay.

"The way you're behaving at the moment, Byakuran has no reason to ruin our friendship! You're doing very well on your own, there! And you had promised me to give him a second chance, no less. I'm disappointed in you, Spanner, really." Shoichi looked very troubled, and couldn't keep back the groan as, once again, his stomach churned at the stress he felt.

"Sho-chan! Don't! Please don't feel bad. It's okay. I can understand Spanner-kun's feelings."

Shoichi had stepped back from his roommate, and Byakuran followed suit now. His hand stroked the red-head's cheek, coming to rest under his chin.

"Calm down, please, we will just leave," he said softly, lifting up Shoichi's chin to kiss him.

The tender caress and the soft voice were starting to calm the young programmer, but that feeling vanished just an instant later. He was so surprised by Byakuran's sudden action that he gasped.

This was an opportunity the other man just couldn't let slip. Using this opening, he slipped his tongue into Shoichi's mouth and used all his skill on his lovely victim.

It was the weirdest feeling having that alien muscle snake around his mouth. It was totally new to Shoichi, but he just couldn't help but moan as his own tongue was played with. He had closed his eyes involuntarily, forgetting his surroundings for a second. Feeling his knees weaken, though, his eyes fluttered open as his hands grabbed for something to hold him up.

"Careful, Sho-chan, hahahaha, I don't want you to fall," Byakuran laughed and wrapped his arm around his friend. He turned the blushing man effectively around to the door in that gesture. Hidden from the red-head, he looked over his shoulder to show Spanner one last, very superior, smirk. "Let's go to my place and listen to some of that new music."

While he was gently led (rather almost shoved) out of the apartment, Shoichi somehow felt bad for what had just happened. Unsure, he looked back to catch a last glimpse of a very distraught looking Spanner.

* * *

Shoichi's words were like a continuous stab in the gut for Spanner. Anger and indignation flowed through the young mechanic as his best friend blamed all of their falling outs on him. He wanted to scream, wanted to shout at the top of his lungs that he never meant to hurt Shoichi in any case, and that it was Shoichi's overdramatic actions and Byakuran's persuasions that were causing this rift. Spanner had been able to say anything around Shoichi before and the other boy wouldn't take offense to it, knowing he was joking most of the time, but now, all of a sudden, this year Shoichi started to take offense to every little thing Spanner said and did. The British teen wanted nothing more than to shout this out, but seeing the man he loved holding his stomach in pain stopped him.

But it wasn't that action that stopped his heart.

In the next moment, Byakuran pointedly showed him just how much he had Shoichi wrapped in the spider web he had woven. With a gentle caress to his cheek and a lift of his chin, Byakuran brought Shoichi into a kiss, which only grew more passionate when he heard Shoichi gasp.

Spanner couldn't breathe, couldn't think, as he watched the spectacle before him unravel with horror and hurt; his baby blue eyes shaking with disbelief when he heard Shoichi moan.

He really was going to be sick.

It felt like an eternity before the kiss finally ended, and when it did, Byakuran quickly turned Shoichi around so he wouldn't see him, but that didn't stop the conniving clown from glancing back at Spanner to give him his most pompous smirk.

The blonde-haired teen bowed his head then as he balled his fists up beside him. He could feel his whole body shake with a plethora of emotions that were ready to burst forth at any moment. But, since Spanner couldn't figure out which emotion to follow, all he could do was stand there frozen and distraught until he heard the door to the apartment open and then click shut.

As soon as he heard that click, it was like a trigger went off in his disorientated brain. Like a bullet, the arm closest to the wall reached out with a balled fist and firmly slammed itself against the plaster. Spanner was completely silent when he did this; too angry and distraught to utter a single scream. He didn't know what to expect from himself anymore. Ever since Shoichi had been leaving him to his lonesome, his emotions had been so out of whack that the British teen couldn't remember the last time he was his usual cool and composed self.

Taking his fist away from the dented wall, Spanner stared down at it despondently, just noticing that he had cut open his knuckles from the impact. As he watched the blood drip down his balled–up hand, Spanner couldn't even feel the pain his hand must have been in, because the internal hurt he felt was far worse. Just knowing that his best friend decided to believe an ex-psychopathic murderer over him, the best friend he had known for six years, was beyond any blow he had ever felt. And the added fact that Byakuran had proven to him that Shoichi had moved on, that he no longer felt for Spanner anymore, was the topping on this disgusting sundae. The young mechanic knew that he probably wouldn't have been agonizing over that little fact if Byakuran hadn't mentioned that Shoichi had loved him before, and that he was too dumb to have seen it in the first place.

It was obvious now that Shoichi had loved him, but not anymore.

The young mechanic's bloody fist shook with anger once again, but before Spanner could do anything rash, he heard a series of worried beeps come from his room. Immediately recognizing the sound, Spanner turned his attention towards Mini Mosca, who moved up beside him.

"Are you hurt, Daddy?" The little robot asked through text as he beeped again in worry.

"…Yeah…" the, once again, depressed teen mumbled out as he chewed on his lower lip, unable to meet his creation's eyes.

There was a moment of silence as Spanner finally regained his nerve and glanced down at Mini Mosca. Noticing he had his 'Daddy's' attention, the little robot immediately started to converse.

"Seeing the altercation with Mommy's bad-boy lover and you, I took the initiative and recorded the conversation between you two."

Spanner could only blink in shock as he stared down at his mechanical creation, not believing what he was seeing. If Mini Mosca recorded that whole conversation, did that mean he could prove himself with it? Unbeknownst to the mechanical genius, his little robot had another surprise for him.

"Mommy's hormone levels indicated uncertainty during the forceful kiss, and prior to leaving," Mini Mosca reiterated the data he collected as he placed a big hand on Spanner's leg as a form of comfort. "Don't worry, Mommy will be back. Hormone levels indicate he's still attracted to you."

Spanner's gut turned with disbelief, but very soon, that uncertainty turned into grateful relief. If Shoichi was still attracted to him based upon Mini Mosca's data, then that meant he still had a chance to correct his stupidity. He had another chance!

The young mechanic's brain went into overdrive then as he thought up his next course of action. He'd have to come up with some way to make Shoichi stay in the apartment long enough to explain himself properly. As the British teen glanced down towards Mini Mosca again, he knew immediately what he had to do.

"_This fight isn't over yet, Byakuran_," Spanner mentally growled out as he was filled with renewed determination. "_I won't let you mess with Shoichi and me anymore."_

* * *

At his friend's apartment, Shoichi witnessed the damage his roommate had done first hand as Byakuran took off his button-up shirt to reveal his arm.

"He's stronger than he looks," the white-haired genius had to give Spanner that. He hissed softly as he touched the marks that actually showed up on his arm as a hand print.

"It's all the tools and machine parts," Shoichi explained like it was self-evident, which it was to him. "He doesn't even know how strong he is himself most of the time. With his eating habits, I sometimes wonder myself how he keeps it up..." Realizing the way Byakuran scrutinized him, the red-head stopped himself. Oh man. He had totally drifted off! His...boyfriend (?!) was showing off a massive bruise and he talked about the one who had caused it like a smitten schoolgirl. "I...I'm sorry...Do…Do you have some cooling salve are something?"

"Nah, I don't need anything like that. It's gonna heal up all by itself." He reached out to draw Shoichi closer to him. "I bet it would heal so much faster, though, if you kissed it to make it better, hihihihi." Byakuran laughed.

Shoichi's eyes went wide and he blushed slightly. "B-Bya-kun, you're not a boy of five anymore. I doubt a, 'kiss on the boo-boo', will make it better."

Byakuran started to grin in a way that made Shoichi's slight blush turn to crimson even before he heard the words that accompanied that grin. "Ooooh, Sho-chan, believe me, if you kissed, 'the boo-boo', I would forget about any pain I ever had, hahahahahaha."

"Byakuran! Don't!" This time, the red-haired programmer used his friend's full name and his voice was more forceful, even though he was still pretty flustered at the other's bluntness. "I...I'll get some ice. At least that will help with the swelling. We need that arm..."

"Oh yes, Sho-cha~n, we'll need that arm pretty soon for pretty interesting things..."

A soft groan escaped Shoichi at this comment as his stomach acted up. This was all too much stress on him today! He escaped Byakuran's grasp and got the ice he promised, taking a bit more time than was needed. After that, he made sure he kept enough distance between them. Yes, he felt compassion for his friend and the pain he surely was in, but that still didn't mean he would do just anything to make Byakuran feel better; not with the things the other had in mind to do so.

Shoichi decided to call it an early evening after one innuendo too much, and headed for a yoga class instead. He really needed some inner peace after this day. And since Byakuran knew he wouldn't get any farther with his sweet Sho-chan that day, he let him go.

Taking his time at the gym, Shoichi returned late. He slipped into his room fast when he noticed his roommate wasn't around; intent on not meeting the other one that night.

He managed to leave early enough the next morning to miss Spanner again, only to get caught in the evening of that day. Even though the way Spanner had behaved towards Byakuran was inexcusable, he still felt bad about the kiss somehow. Really, there shouldn't be a reason why he couldn't kiss his friend where and when he wanted. He had been around to witness Mimi kissing Spanner, too! At least those two seemed to behave enough now to do it elsewhere or when he wasn't around. He gave them enough time to do it, didn't he?

His head spinning slightly from his constantly turning thoughts, he walked into the room after shutting the door.

"Hi," he greeted, looking at Spanner and trying to assess the mood.

* * *

The rest of that night went by in a blur for Spanner. After bandaging his hand and cleaning up the blood that smeared onto the wall and onto the floor (sadly, there was nothing that Spanner could do for the big dent in the wall), the young mechanic got down to business in planning his next step. He was thinking about upgrading Mini Mosca, but with what? What could he add on to the robot that would make Shoichi stay longer to make sure he programmed everything correctly?

By chance, Spanner's eyes roved over Shoichi's favorite Blood and Pepper's CD lying out on the coffee table, and the idea he wanted hit him. He would add speakers and a CD slot!

Knowing it was best to create what he needed as soon as possible to make his apologies sound more legitimate, Spanner worked on Mini Mosca in his bedroom for the rest of the night. Sacrificing his sleep was a hard thing to do, but he figured he'd just sleep in and not go to class the next day (he was doing well in his classes anyway).

When Mini Mosca's upgrades were complete, and after a good amount of sleep that lasted until the afternoon, Spanner waited for Shoichi to come home, hoping that he'd at least would.

Hearing the door open and a cautious, "Hi," reach his ears, Spanner jumped up from the couch and rubbed the back of his head with his injured hand in embarrassment.

"Ah…Shoichi…um," Spanner stumbled over his words in his desperation. He felt so self-conscious then that he didn't know what to do with himself. The very thought that Shoichi was somehow still attracted to him made him nervous and excited to the point his stomach was fluttering.

"Uh…I upgraded Mini Mosca a bit!" The British teen finally blurted out as he stared intensely into Shoichi's dark green eyes. "I felt for a while now that he was missing something, and I figured out last night what it was. I made a dual speaker and CD system for him, so that he can play music while he cleans the apartment. I thought it would be another good selling point for him in the competition…"

As the last word left his mouth, Spanner could feel his hopes deflate. He had forgotten that Byakuran had basically told him that the robotics and video game programming competitions were on the same day, and that Shoichi already decided on where he was going to attend. But just as soon as those depressing thoughts entered him, they were replaced with more hopeful ones. With the speakers he installed in Mini Mosca, he'd be able to play that conversation sound-bit for Shoichi and prove his innocence. After that, there would be no way that Shoichi would attend the competition with Byakuran!

Swallowing his nerves, Spanner finally asked, "I was wondering if you wanted to do the programming, since you've done it all from the beginning of this project. We can do it tonight if you want, since I have to fine tune some stuff anyway…"

* * *

His roommate got up fast and scratched the back of his head. It was easy to see Spanner was nervous about something. At least he seemed calmer than yesterday.

Shoichi decided to head over to him and not go to his room first to put away his bag. Instead, he put it next to the couch. "Oh, you did?" He asked. Actually, there was something else he wanted to hear; he wanted an apology. But he knew Spanner long enough to know he needed to give him some time to ease into it.

He didn't expect what the other one said next. He couldn't help it; he got excited and his eyes lit up at the prospect. "Oh yeah, that's a real good idea! It will make housework so much more enjoyable with some music playing along! If they were to serialize him, wives could iron to his music, while he cleans the floor or dusts the boards. I like that idea very much!" The more he thought about it, the more enthusiastic he got about it.

His brows drew together at the next insinuation. "Of course I want to do the programming. I did just about every line of code on our little guy! Except for that hug...and we know how that turned out..." He allowed himself a small smile. It really had been but a tiny mistake in that program, but Shoichi still liked to insist that he was just the better programmer. "T-tonight?" he stammered then. Actually, he was headed for Byakuran's, and just wanted to put away some of his books and get a program he only had on CD.

For a moment, he thought about it. Working on Mini-Mosca was high on his priority list. With the way Byakuran had behaved last night, Shoichi really wasn't too sure they would work on their game tonight. It was much more feasible he'd have to keep him at arm's length again.

On the other hand, it wouldn't go over too well if he told Byakuran he would cancel tonight to work with the guy that had hurt him pretty badly last night. What to do...?

His love for music, and the prospect of turning Mini Mosca into the coolest music box ever, won out. "Yeah, okay, I'll do it tonight. Just give me a moment."

Shoichi took his bag and went to his room, closing the door behind him. He got out his cell and called Byakuran. Groaning softly, he told the other one about some surprise test, how the stress had made his stomach act out, and how he'd just head to bed. It wasn't nice to lie, but really, what other choice did he have? As fast as he could, he changed his shirt afterwards, so Spanner wouldn't wonder why he had shut the door.

"Okay, let's get started," he said after he returned to the main room with his laptop.

* * *

Seeing the excitement shine in Shoichi's eyes caused Spanner to forget how to breathe. He had never realized how beautiful Shoichi could be when he was determined to create something…or just how beautiful he was in general. Just how dense had he been?

The young mechanic's stomach twisted into nervous knots then when he noticed how unsure his best friend became when he referred to working on Mini Mosca tonight, but thankfully, after a moment of deliberation, Shoichi finally agreed.

The biggest smile of relief he had ever experienced spread across Spanner's face in that moment. The thought of working alongside Shoichi again made him happier than he had been for the past week. Sadly, though, this session wasn't going to be all sunshine and roses, Spanner had to find the right moment to apologize to Shoichi, and thoroughly explain his case about Byakuran.

When Shoichi went to his room for something (Spanner assumed it was to change, because he closed his door), the blonde teen called for Mini Mosca. With little beeps emitting from his 'mouth', the little robot moved out of Spanner's room, where he had been dusting, to stand before his, 'Daddy'. From there, Spanner told his favorite invention that his 'Mommy' was back and that they were going to work on him so he could use his new speakers. Mini Mosca emitted a bunch of really fast beeps before he went and stood in the living room, waiting patiently.

Spanner just chuckled, assuming Mini Mosca's reaction was some sort of, 'excitement', on the robot's part, and went over to shut him off. After grabbing his toolbox from his room, the young mechanic started taking out the tools he needed for tuning when Shoichi reemerged from his room. Taking note of the other's changed clothes, Spanner just nodded in assent as he began tuning the robot's speakers while Shoichi plugged his laptop into the Mini Mosca's back.

The next twenty minutes or so went by in complete silence as the two boys focused on their respective work. Spanner was trying to find the right words to start up the conversation he had been planning, so that when he was done with his tuning, and he had nothing else to do, he would be able to say what he needed to say.

* * *

Shoichi accessed Mini Mosca's main programming then and found something he didn't expect. Looking at strings of code he didn't recognize, the programmer bit his lower lip. "Hm...Spanner, tell me, did you try to program Mini Mosca to do something again?" Even though he had just made fun of Spanner's earlier mishap, there was neither accusation nor mirth in his voice. He was genuinely puzzled, since he usually knew Spanner's codes when he saw them.

As the other denied having done anything of the like, Shoichi's brows drew together. "There's programming and code in here neither of us put there..." He mumbled as he looked at the commands, at what they did, and where they led. "I...I think Mini Mosca did this himself...He's...He's actually learning..." The red-head's eyes went wide as full realization struck. "I know I hoped for something of the like when I made his core programming at the super computer, but I never thought it would happen so fast! For some reason, he's rigged all of his environmental sensors into the analyzing program. Only the heat sensors were connected before, so he could understand the readings and react in case of fire." He looked up at Spanner. "I can't believe he did that by himself; and I'm really wondering why. Maybe I should ask him later?"

Since Spanner couldn't answer questions only Mini Mosca had answers to, Shoichi returned to his actual task. Installing the CD-player and speakers was rather fast on his part, but he took his time fine tuning the equalizers for the best sound possible.

* * *

Shoichi's question caught Spanner off guard. Wondering what was going on, the young mechanic replied after a moment of thought.

"No…I don't think so…" He answered with curiosity in his voice.

The next bit of information that Shoichi shared with him almost floored the British teen. Mini Mosca was actually learning?! But after another moment of thought, it made sense to Spanner. He couldn't remember talking to Shoichi about being able to make their robot read hormone levels after all, and Mini Mosca had specifically shared that data with him.

When Spanner heard how Shoichi was thinking about asking Mini Mosca about all of this later on, he just kept silent. He didn't know what to say. Spanner knew about the new programming Mini Mosca had established in himself, but even he didn't understand why the robot did it; although he had an inkling…

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Spanner just went back to finishing up his work on the CD slot and thinking about more pressing matters. He had to figure out what to say to his friend for his apology. The young mechanic knew that he'd be done soon, so he had to figure out what he wanted to say now before he was left there with nothing to do but to sit around awkwardly.

After a couple more minutes, that moment Spanner was preparing for finally arrived.

With a deep breath, Spanner set down his screwdriver and glanced Shoichi's way. The red-head was busy typing away at his keyboard, and totally focused on his work to the point that the British mechanic wondered if he'd even hear him when he talked.

Willing to take the chance, though, Spanner brought himself to ask, "Um, Shoichi, can we talk?"

When he saw his best friend glance up at him with expectation, Spanner knew he had to say his next words carefully. Taking a deep breath, the younger teen gathered his thoughts and spoke his mind.

"The last week or so has been very strenuous for the both of us, I think. It's because of that, that I never got the chance to apologize properly to you," Spanner started, his baby-blue eyes completely focused on Shoichi's expectant orbs and sparkling with insistence. "I truly do apologize for that incident with Mini Mosca calling you his, 'Mommy'. I…I had my own reasons for referring to you as such to him, but those reasons never consisted of me thinking that you were girly in any way. I've never…not once in my entire life…have I purposefully tried to hurt you, Shoichi. You are my best friend and I…I care for you deeply, Shoichi…I never meant to offend you with my words, so I'm sorry that you did take offense all the same. If you wish, I can teach Mini Mosca to refer to you as his programmer from now on…"

After saying his piece, Spanner waited nervously for Shoichi's response, wondering if Mini Mosca would actually start calling Shoichi his, 'programmer', instead of his, 'Mommy'. The young mechanic was certain he had figured out now why the little robot had said, "Does not compute", a week ago. It was probably because he could detect Shoichi's and his hormone levels, and tell that both of them were attracted to each other. After all, it was completely normal for parent's to be attracted to each other, right? So how could Mini Mosca call them something else when the obvious was staring him right in the face?

* * *

When his roommate spoke up, Shoichi turned his attention from his keyboard to him. "Yeah, sure," he said, looking at the other questioningly. It seemed like his friend had had enough time and finally wanted to apologize.

He slowly nodded after he had heard his roommate out. "I think you're right. The last week was pretty stressful, and I guess I reacted harsher than usual. I...I know you didn't hurt me on purpose." Shoichi smiled softly then. "Apology accepted." He thought about it for a moment then. He trusted that Spanner didn't lie and felt relief at knowing he didn't think of him the way he had feared. "Hm, I guess as long as Mini Mosca doesn't follow me around campus calling me his 'Mommy', it's okay. I don't want to confuse the little guy; especially not with that self-programming going on at the moment. Let's just leave it at that for now."

Shoichi looked around the room a second and then back at Spanner. "I wanted to tell you that I appreciate you returning our apartment to some order again. I didn't have too much time to enjoy it yet, but I noticed it." That reminded him of something. "Oh yeah, and I noticed something else this morning. There's a pretty big dent in that wall," he pointed that way, looking puzzled at the other. "Do you know what happened? I first thought of Mini, but it's too high for him to reach..."

* * *

A sense of relief flooded Spanner when he heard his best friend forgive him, and saw that small smile directed towards him. The young mechanic couldn't stop himself from smiling in return, thankful that Shoichi was willing to listen to him now. Spanner was also thankful that Shoichi decided to ignore Mini Mosca's 'mother' comments at the moment, due to how he was learning things on his own. The blonde teen tried not to blush at the fact that just knowing Shoichi didn't mind being called Mini Mosca's mother for the moment made him happy.

"Okay, I'll teach him not to call you that in public," Spanner agreed enthusiastically before the red-head mentioned something about cleaning up the apartment again. "Yeah, I haven't done it in a while, so I thought it would be courteous…"

But, all of a sudden, Shoichi's next words caused fear to seize him. He knew that the dent would be noticed eventually, but the thought of Shoichi knowing he had caused it scared him. Spanner wasn't the type for direct physical violence, in fact, if he could avoid violence, he would, so just imagining how Shoichi's opinion of him would change after knowing he had lost control of himself, frightened Spanner to no end. Would Shoichi actually be afraid of him?

Spanner wanted nothing more than to lie…but he couldn't. He couldn't remember a time he had lied to Shoichi; _**ever**_. The reason why they're friendship was lasting for as long as it was at the moment, was because Shoichi knew that Spanner told things as he saw them. So, with Shoichi's direct question for him, Spanner found himself unable to lie, and unable to contain the fear that consumed him because of it.

"I…" Spanner started out hesitantly, but swallowed thickly instead. He knew he wanted to discuss the matter of Byakuran too, but he didn't want to degrade his own image in the process. But, feeling put on the spot, the young mechanic fell on his only option and showed Shoichi the bandaged hand he had covered up with his work gloves.

"I…got angry…" The British teen mumbled out in shame, unable to meet his best friend's eyes. "He…Byakuran…He made me really upset..."

"Thanks, I'd really appreciate that," Shoichi smiled and winked again. It would really be awkward having to explain to random people why a robot would call him his, '_**Mommy**_'. Usually, Mini Mosca was only in their apartment, but at the very least, there was the competition, and just about everyone they knew would be there. Having Mini Mosca call out to his 'Mommy' then, and having to answer, would just be embarrassing.

* * *

Realizing the growing silence, he looked at Spanner a little closer. His roommate seemed to contemplate his simple question about the dent in the wall awfully long. He was looking hesitant and nervous even. What could have happened?

With a shock, Shoichi realized it had to be something to do with Mimi! "_Please don't tell me any weird sex-story_," he prayed to whichever higher being might listen in. He really couldn't bear that! But his answer was something else entirely.

Spanner took off his big, tough work glove to reveal a hand wrapped in bandages. His words just didn't make sense for a second. Shoichi looked at the hand, then at the wall, and then back again. Objectively, it should have been obvious from the first second what had happened, but subjectively, the older one just couldn't believe it. His roommate was the most relaxed, calm to a fault, person he knew. It just couldn't be. It couldn't be that his friend had rammed his hand into a wall in explosive anger!

"You didn't?!" He exclaimed wide-eyed. "Spanner! What's going on with you? I...I just don't know you anymore," Shoichi murmured in disbelieve, shaking his head. "First you hurt our guest, and then you hurt yourself by hitting a wall...that's just not you."

* * *

The words that reached his ears then, Shoichi's words of disbelief, hurt more than Spanner could have ever imagined.

"_I... I just don't know you anymore."_

With those six words, all of Spanner's anger for the menacing clown came back in full force. He balled his fists in anger, causing slight pain to course up through his bandaged hand as he strained the healing skin.

"It's because of your bloody guest that I'm so pissed off in the first place!" Spanner practically shouted, hating how Shoichi was defending Byakuran like he was some defenseless bunny rabbit! "I swear to you, Shoichi, he told me directly that he's using these misunderstandings that we've been having to drive us apart. He just wants you all to himself and doesn't care who he hurts or manipulates in order to achieve his goal. We're basically pawns in some demented game of his!"

Spanner stared earnestly into his best friend's eyes, hoping that his words were getting across to him.

"I swear I'm telling the truth, Shoichi. When I heard this yesterday, I got so angry; more angry than I've ever been in my entire life. I just hate how he's using us, how he's playing both of us for fools, and for how he's trying to…to…!"

"…_take you away from me_…" Spanner finished his sentence internally, unable to bring himself to say the words that were closest to his heart.

Taking a deep breath, the young mechanic tried to calm himself down as he awaited Shoichi's response.

* * *

All of a sudden, his usually calm, collected friend raised his voice and put all the blame on Byakuran. Shoichi watched Spanner while he talked. When the other one was done, he took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose as he felt a bad head-ache coming on.

He put his glasses back on, straightened them, and looked into his roommate's baby-blue eyes. "I really have no idea what's going on with you. Are you really so childish to think just because I have a new friend I won't 'play' with you anymore? Is that why you try to make Byakuran look bad? Yes, I've been away quite often, but not because of something Byakuran said, but because of my second project and because...because I sometimes couldn't bear to be around you the way you behaved. It's just the same as now."

Shoichi shook his head, looking sad. "The way you blame him for driving us apart when he never said a bad word against you...It's you saying mean things about him and trying to drive me away from him." Well, Byakuran had said Spanner didn't deserve him, but that was to make him feel better, and it didn't matter anyway, since his roommate was straight and didn't want him in the first place.

"I never figured you to be the jealous type and to stoop so low as to use violence to try to get your way. This is exactly why I can't be around you anymore. It's not something Byakuran told me to do, it's your behavior."

Shoichi unplugged his laptop and stood. "Don't wait up." Turning his back on Spanner, he went to his room, got his bag, and left.

* * *

The response Spanner got was something he wasn't expecting at all. Shoichi's answer was…demeaning to say the least. The young mechanic could only stare at his best friend in shock. Shoichi was treating him like a child throwing a temper tantrum! Spanner would admit that he had been childish at moments, but his 'childish' actions had been nothing in comparison to Shoichi's. Ever since he started going out with Mimi, Shoichi had become oversensitive to everything he did. What was more childish than someone yelling at their clueless friend for something they had no idea on what they were doing to hurt the other in the first place? Spanner understood that probably had to do with the fact that Shoichi had probably been jealous, but really, he shouldn't be calling Spanner childish at this point in time when he was only trying to protect him from harm!

"My behavior?!" Spanner exclaimed incredulously, unable to hold his words back anymore. "From what I remember, I didn't act any bloody different towards you until you started throwing little hissy fits for the smallest things, and kept storming out of the apartment!"

The British teen felt like he was being treated rather unfairly, considering the circumstances, but Shoichi didn't seem to care. He automatically took that psychopath's side, completely dismissing six years of friendship in his wake.

"I'm only trying to protect you, Shoichi!" Spanner tried to explain in desperation; this wasn't going right at all! "There's no bloody ulterior motive here, I just don't want him to hurt you! Why can't you believe me? I even have evidence!"

But Shoichi wasn't listening anymore. With a growl of, "Don't wait up", he was gone and out the door.

For the first time in Spanner's life, he swore viciously at the top of his lungs. Damn it! What was he supposed to do now?! The blonde teen could feel despair pulling at him then, trying to drown him in hopelessness. He had no idea if Shoichi would even bother trying to get back with him now. Mini Mosca wasn't on to witness the other's hormone fluctuations before he left. Also, there was the fact that just because the other had actually been attracted to him, it didn't mean Spanner had a second chance because the physical attraction was still there. For all he knew, Byakuran had already poisoned any emotional connection Shoichi had to him.

With a depressed sigh, Spanner just turned Mini Mosca on. He wondered if Shoichi even finished with the programming. If he hadn't, then Spanner knew he'd have to finish it up himself.

When the little robot finally turned on, it only took one look at his 'Daddy' and he deduced what had happened.

"Mommy's gone again, isn't he?" The little robot beeped out through text.

Not able to meet the robot's eyes, Spanner just nodded his head in defeated silence.

* * *

With his stomach twisting in knots once again, Shoichi was barely able to make his way over to Byakuran. Although the other hadn't expected him, he was, of course, happy to see him. Since the red-head had lied to get his evening with Spanner, he had to keep on lying now. At least he looked as bad as he had sounded like on the phone.

"I...I couldn't sleep and...and I missed you...You can make me feel better most of the time, so I...I came," he said softly between groans. Why did this lie make his stomach churn even more?

Even though Byakuran felt like he had won his little match against Spanner, he didn't let it show. Gently he led the red-head to the couch, making him lay down. He still didn't like to see the other in pain. First, he covered him in a blanket, and then went to make tea. Before returning with the warmed beverage, he turned on Shoichi's favorite music; the music playing softly in the background.

"Here, drink this."

While the red-haired man lay on the chaise of the sectional couch, Byakuran sat down right next to him on the sitting part. Shoichi had to get up a bit to drink and when he was finished, the other one made him lay down with his head in his lap. For a second, the older one was insecure, unsure of his friend's motives, but that was until his hair was stroked softly. He felt no hidden agenda in Byakuran's behavior this time, only gentle care. Rolling himself up under the blanket, he closed his eyes with a soft sigh and just let himself get soothed. He never even felt how he drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Spanner heard Mini Mosca beep something out, but he didn't bother to read the text; the depression and loneliness he felt then were too much for him to bear. But, to his surprise, he heard Shoichi's voice the next second. Lifting his head, the young mechanic stared at Mini Mosca, who had activated his new speakers all on his own and was playing a sound clip he hadn't heard before. It sounded like Shoichi was…talking to Byakuran…but he was trying to come up with an excuse not to see him!

Grabbing the little robot's shoulders, Spanner desperately asked when he had recorded that message. When Mini Mosca confirmed he had recorded it about a half hour ago when his 'Mommy' was in his room changing, Spanner's hope rose. Shoichi wasn't one to lie either, so for him to want to lie to Byakuran in order to stay and work with him, it filled the blonde teen with warmth. Maybe there was still a chance?

* * *

Having experienced the caring side to Byakuran had made Shoichi feel more at ease around him. This was good, especially since he once again stayed away from his own apartment as much as possible. The next three nights, he only went home to sleep and change, even though Byakuran, of course, asked him to stay for the night. But since he wasn't sick anymore, Shoichi was only too sure where such an action would lead, and he just wasn't ready for that yet.

When Spanner actually sent him a text asking him to come home after his last class, he was surprised. As he read that message, he felt how much he really missed the other. He couldn't help but follow the request, intrigued as to what his roommate wanted. He was taken aback by his own contradictory feelings. He knew he was the one distancing himself now, but how could he be around Spanner when he tried to make him break up with Byakuran, who actually made him feel good?

Unsure of what to expect, Shoichi went home after his last class to see what Spanner wanted to talk about.

* * *

For the next few days, Spanner thought long and hard about how he wanted to get Shoichi's attention back onto him (he only came back to change clothes at night, and then immediately left afterwards). Just what was it about Byakuran that made Shoichi want to spend more time with him? Maybe Shoichi liked spontaneous, crazy types more?

As this thought crossed his mind, a certain flyer caught his attention on the way to one of his classes. It was a reminder for the robotics department (especially for those who took part in the robotics competition in a few weeks) that for Halloween, they'd be turning their department building into a haunted robot lab. When Spanner saw this, he remembered the mad scientist costume his grandfather had bought him and sent him in the mail a few days ago.

Rushing back to his apartment after classes ended for the day, the blonde teen had a certain idea that he just couldn't get out of his head. He would be spontaneous and show Shoichi his idea for the haunted lab! When his friend would enter the apartment and see them, it would be just as surprising as it would be during the haunted lab skit. This would make for some good practice on his part, and it would also be an opportunity for Shoichi to question him and get them talking again!

The moment Spanner entered the apartment, he immediately relayed his plan to Mini Mosca, who was excited for some reason at the thought of dress-up. After donning his mad scientist lab coat (with smeared, green hand prints all over it), his work gloves, and a pair of swirly eyed goggles, Spanner messed up his hair as best as he could (which wasn't too hard), and placed a Frankenstein mask over Mini Mosca's head (the best that he could anyway). The young mechanic was thankful that the rubber mask had come with the costume.

Texting Shoichi to come home, because he wanted to show him something (after taking off his gloves for a minute, of course), Spanner rushed to the living room afterwards and spent the next few minutes trying to lift Mini Mosca onto the coffee table. After a bit of struggle, the crazy-looking mechanic finally got his robot onto the table and laid him flat against it. He could feel excitement course through him at the thought of how surprised Shoichi was probably going to be.

At that thought, Spanner heard the front door open, and tried his best to get into character.

"Welcome home, Shoichi…" The British teen uttered in his darkest voice as he rubbed his gloved hands together in anticipation and glanced down at Mini Mosca. "Rise my creation, and say hello to our friend."

At that command, Mini Mosca brought his arms up slowly until they were straight up in the air. Then, little by little, he lifted his upper body up with a robotic whir, trying his best to pull off the look of Frankenstein's monster. When he was in a sitting position, he swiveled his head around to look directly at Shoichi and beeped his greetings.

* * *

Shoichi had no idea what he had expected from Spanner, but it sure as hell wasn't this. The room was darkened, with only the work light illuminating the surreal, absurd scene before him. It all looked like he had just walked into a cheap horror movie.

He really had thought his roommate had wanted to talk for real, that they could talk things out and make peace somehow, but quite obviously that wasn't what was on the other's mind. Instead, he had called him to play a cheap...prank on him?! Shoichi wasn't too well versed in British/American culture, but wasn't Halloween on October 31? He was two days early!

So was this what their friendship was worth to him? And he even got poor little Mini Mosca involved in this frivolity! With a monster rubber mask over his face, the head swiveled around like in the "Exorcist" movies.

Turning on the main light, Shoichi looked at Spanner incredulously. "You called me here for this?" He gestured at him, Mini Mosca, and that whole grotesque scene. "Do you think it's fun to play with my feelings? I really hoped we could talk, but obviously there seems to be no need for that to you. You can keep having fun..."

Shaking his head, he turned around and left again. His eyes were burning as he walked out. Was their relationship worth so little to Spanner that he could joke like that, even when their friendship lay in pieces before them? This really wasn't the Spanner he had known and loved.

Distraught, Shoichi made his way to another yoga class, trying to find some calm again.

* * *

Spanner almost chuckled at the surprised look on Shoichi's face, but he quickly became concerned when his friend flipped the light on in anger.

"Ah, yeah, I did," the young mechanic tried to explain to his angry friend, not expecting the reaction at all. "You see, I…"

But Shoichi immediately cut him off and laid his own feelings down before him, causing Spanner's heart to clench painfully in his chest.

"No, Shoichi, I wanted to talk, too! I just wanted to make you laugh!" But even as he was saying this, Shoichi was out the door in the next second.

Spanner lowered the hand he had outstretched in his feeble attempt to make the other stay, his head bowing in despair once again. He should have predicted this might have happened! Why couldn't he understand Shoichi's attitude anymore?!

Falling down onto the couch behind him in defeat, Spanner ran his gloved hands through his unruly hair. The Shoichi he used to know, the old Shoichi, would have laughed at his antics in the end and questioned him on what he was doing after he'd calmed down from the surprise. But this new Shoichi, the one he couldn't predict anymore, took it as a personal offense. Spanner guessed Shoichi didn't like spontaneity as much as he had previously thought.

There was a loud, "Thump!", as Mini Mosca dropped down from the coffee table then and moved over towards Spanner's sitting position to pat his knee gently with an oversized, metallic hand. In any other situation, the British teen would have found the scene of a robot wearing a Frankenstein mask trying to comfort him to be funny, but under the current circumstances, he just couldn't bring himself to feel amusement.

"Mommy's hormone levels indicated he was hurt by your actions, because he wanted to talk to you. This shows that he still cares deeply for you," Mini Mosca beeped out through text. "There's still a chance."

A soft smile made its way onto the depressed teen's lips as he rubbed his creation's head affectionately and whispered out a, "Thank you, but I don't know what to do anymore…"

The little robot whirred at the gratitude before giving his 'Daddy' a suggestion.

"Studies have shown there is a higher probability of reconciliation when one partner cooks the other a surprise dinner. The consideration it would show would make the other partner want to listen, and also give ample time to discuss issues while you ate."

Spanner blinked at Mini Mosca in complete awe, not expecting his robot to do so much research for his parents' sake.

"You're a genius, Mini Mosca!" The British teen exclaimed with excitement as he got up and went to his room to change out of his costume. He knew that Shoichi wouldn't probably come back home until late that evening, so the younger teen hoped that he could have dinner ready for him by tomorrow after class.

Since the only recipe Spanner knew was for teriyaki shrimp, he went out and bought the supplies he would need that evening in preparation for tomorrow. When the next day finally came, Spanner purposefully skipped his last class in order to try his hand at making the shrimp exactly how Shoichi liked it. Sadly, though, in his rush to make everything perfect, he tripped over one of his tools that was lying on the floor unnoticed (he swore then that he'd never leave them laying out ever again!) and spilled the teriyaki sauce all over the kitchen. In his desperate attempt to clean the mess up, he forgot about the shrimp he was cooking in the skillet on the stove. When he started to smell smoke, Spanner immediately jumped up and filled a glass of water. Pouring the water over the burning shrimp, the smoke expanded with a loud sizzle, filling the apartment and causing the fire alarm and sprinklers to go off in the room.

Spanner just stood before the stove in disbelief as he turned the burner off while water fell onto his head in rivers and as Mini Mosca beeped frantically in the background, the little robot trying to find cover from the falling water. The young mechanic felt like such an idiot then. He should have known better than to throw water into the skillet, but he was so unused to cooking, and so surprised and flustered by everything that happened, that he hadn't thought twice about his actions.

Hating himself for his stupidity, the blonde teen glanced back to see if his robot companion was okay, at least, and Spanner was surprised to see that the other had covered himself with a nearby quilt and had somehow crawled underneath the coffee table for protection. Mini Mosca was too big to actually fit underneath it, so the coffee table was actually balanced upon the little robot's back and off the ground. If Spanner hadn't felt like a complete failure in that moment, he would have found the scene to be comical once again, but he didn't; especially after he heard the front door open.

* * *

Just like Spanner had predicted, Shoichi only came home late and left very early to go running in the park before classes started. He had started to use the showers at the gym, and had also started to change there before classes, so he wouldn't clash with Spanner again.

He really hated how bad their friendship had turned. It hurt him. But really, hadn't yesterday just showed that he was the only one suffering at the loss? Or...Spanner did say something about trying to make him laugh, didn't he? But Shoichi had been too shocked and hurt at the time to listen. Maybe...Maybe there was still some hope for them as friends? He hated the thought of losing Spanner in his life like nothing else. Maybe if he went home after classes and waited up on him, maybe they could try to talk for real this time?

When he came up to their apartment, though, something smelled burnt. Opening the door, water ran out and pooled around his feet. Shoichi looked and blinked into a world of chaos he hadn't seen the likes of before. Well, he had...but only when he had jumped into the parallel future universes Byakuran had destroyed!

Smoke billowed from the main room with the sprinklers raining on everything. And...what was going on with their coffee table? Something big and colorful seemed to be under it...

Spanner was standing amidst the chaos, looking crestfallen and dripping wet. Shoichi felt compassion rising, but stamped it down again, because it was obvious that whatever happened, it had been Spanner's own doing.

First, Shoichi stepped back into the hallway and found the sprinkler's shut down mechanism; turning it off. Then he went into their apartment. He was pretty relieved he always took his laptop along, and that only the sprinklers in the main room had gone off, but the damage was bad enough; this much was obvious.

Without saying anything to Spanner, he headed to the lopsided coffee table to discover what he had expected. The colorful hill underneath was Mini Mosca. Kneeling down next to it, Shoichi touched him. "Can you get up?" He asked softly. The basic structure of the Moscas was very sturdy since they were intended as fighting machines, but with Mini, there were so many extras and gadgets to make him vulnerable. They had never thought of making him watertight in the first place. He was relieved to find out Mini Mosca was still able to move, though.

"Come on." Shoichi led him to the bathroom and set to toweling their precious little robot down, so the water had no chance to do any damage to him.

* * *

Everything felt like a blur to Spanner as he noticed the surprised look on Shoichi's face before he disappeared out into the hall, and the sprinklers turned off. The young mechanic hung his head in shame as Shoichi didn't say a word to him upon reentry and just headed over to the coffee table to check on Mini Mosca. Once the two of them left towards the bathroom, Spanner finally found it within himself to move again. Grabbing his cellphone from his room, and a mop and bucket from the storage closet nearby, Spanner quickly called the manager of their apartment complex and told them they'd need a vacuum to suck up the water on the floor and furniture, and someone to check for water damage.

After that call was made, Spanner swallowed his nerves and made his way to the bathroom. He had to check and see if everything was alright before he tried his best to clean up. As he appeared in the doorway, his heart practically melted at the sight. Shoichi was taking great care to make sure Mini Mosca was thoroughly dried, and the robot was beeping in appreciation.

"You're so kind, Mommy," the little robot beeped out as Shoichi dried his head with a towel.

Worried that Shoichi might take offense to the comment, Spanner quickly spoke up.

"Um…is…is Mini Mosca alright?" The British teen stuttered out in a slightly depressive tone. He still felt ashamed for what his cooking attempt had caused.

* * *

Opening the microwave oven in the little robot, Shoichi checked for water in there, but thankfully found none. Mini Mosca had reacted in an intelligent manner and had tried to keep himself as dry as possible. Taking a few Q-tips, the red-haired programmer checked the CD slot and found a few droplets had found their way in, which he dried out with the tiny cotton topped sticks.

With a second towel, since the first was already wet, he carefully rubbed the little robot's head then, taking special care at the edges of his eyes and mouth pieces. He heard the splashing footfalls of his roommate but did not look up at him. His attention was on the one who needed it.

Shoichi couldn't help but smile at the soft beeps and words of appreciation of the little one. Kneeling before him, he set to dry one of his hands, which would take some time because of all the joints and openings for the gadgets.

"He's as good as can be expected under the circumstances," Shoichi answered dryly. "Since he reacted fast, only very little water made its way inside his casing, and none in a critical place; although you shouldn't use his CD-player for 48 hours, at least. He will need some extra oil at the joints, though." Of course Spanner would know that bit better than anyone as a mechanic, but he couldn't help but point it out as it was so important in taking proper care of Mini after this accident.

"What was it that you were doing anyway to have caused something like that?" He pointed to the catastrophe outside. Even though he was really mad, his voice was cool and neutral. He didn't want to cause a scene, and taking care of Mini Mosca took precedent over kicking Spanner's butt for putting him in danger in the first place.

* * *

Spanner wasn't surprised by Shoichi's dry reply, but it hurt all the same. It just felt like, no matter what he did, he just couldn't do anything right to make Shoichi like him again; even as a friend.

This thought sent the young mechanic spiraling downwards into emotional turmoil, so when he heard Shoichi's next question, and noticed how angry the other looked despite how calm he was trying to keep his voice, it only made Spanner more upset.

"I was trying to cook a surprise dinner for you…" Spanner muttered in an angry, shaky voice as he bowed his head, balled his fists, and completely diverted his eyes away from Shoichi's. "I guess the dinner gave us more surprises than I intended…"

Why did this hurt so much? He could feel Shoichi scrutinizing him in that moment, but he wasn't sure on how to take it. Wouldn't Shoichi just be angry, no matter what he said or did at this point?

* * *

Using the Q-tips again, Shoichi dried the openings for the duster and multi-tool fingers on Mini Mosca. He looked up in surprise then at the answer he received.

A surprise dinner for him? Did Spanner really try to make up? But if that was so, why was he so tense? He was balling up his fists and not even looking at him.

"Yeah, it was a _**nice**_ surprise indeed. And one that endangered Mini, too." Shoichi shook his head. "I just can't believe you just stood there and let the sprinklers rain on him. You should know best that, with all the add-ons, he's not as resilient as his big brothers were in the future. He's not water tight."

Taking a closer look at the hand he had worked on, he decided it should be okay and started on the second.

"Why did you figure I'd be here anyway? It's pure chance I came home when I did." And then a painful thought hit him. Had Spanner really tried to cook for him, or was it for someone else? Someone like…Mimi? His face darkened at this thought.

* * *

Spanner tensed even more as Shoichi's words hit him. It was just as he suspected. Shoichi didn't care he had tried his hardest to make something for him, that he had tried to make up with him! And there he was, going off again, making him sound incompetent and stupid! Who was this guy? Where was the Shoichi he had fallen in love with?!

"…I'm sick of this…" Spanner whispered out hoarsely as he heard Mini Mosca beep erratically in fear (the robot could probably tell he was close to his breaking point). Bringing his eyes up to finally face Shoichi, the young mechanic's baby blue eyes pierced Shoichi's with hurt and anger.

"I'm so bloody sick of your attitude, Shoichi!" The British teen yelled out as he threw the bucket and mop he was holding to the side; the two objects crashing to the water-filled floor. "I've been trying for weeks to mend our friendship, I've been doing every little thing I can, but I always seem to do something wrong in your eyes! You're always getting angry with me for the smallest little things, and taking my jokes seriously. I've been trying to talk with you for so long, but whenever I bring up a touchy subject, you always get upset and leave before I can explain myself! You always assume the worst of me!"

Spanner shook uncontrollably then, his fists wanting nothing more than to punch something.

"Just who the hell are you, and what have you done with the Shoichi I know?!" The distraught teen shouted again, his voice wavering. "You're always complaining and saying how you don't recognize me anymore. Well, why the bloody hell do you think that's happening?! You were the one that changed first! Everything was normal at the start of the year, and then you suddenly became super sensitive to everything I said and did! I couldn't tell what was going on, and you never explained your reasons to me, or even tried to talk to me about it. And then, you even went on to say that _**I'm**_ the one ruining our friendship when I've only been trying to keep it together! I'm not the one that keeps running away!"

The young mechanic slammed his hand up against the wall beside the bathroom door frame then, only feeling slight satisfaction at the loud, "bam!", that echoed throughout the apartment.

"And then, the topping on this bloody screwed up cake of ours was you believing Byakuran over me," Spanner continued, his voice becoming louder with every word as the thought of the white-haired man filled him with rage. "You willingly chose to believe an ex-psychopathic, genocidal dictator over the friend you've known for six years, the friend who's never once lied to you! You didn't believe a damn thing I said about that man, even though I told you to be wary about him! Byakuran might not have the same ambitions in this time that he did in the other time lines, but that doesn't mean his personality has changed! He's always been manipulative! And you're choosing to believe that it's me ruining this friendship and not his pull on you; even though I told you that he told me that directly!"

Spanner hung his head again, his voice shaking with something more than anger; it was hurt.

"Damn it, Shoichi. Do you think that I'd just make something like that up, that I'd want to upset you about Byakuran playing mind games with us?! Can't you see that I just don't want him to hurt you; that I want to protect you?!" Bringing his head up to face Shoichi again, Spanner finally let out what he had wanted to say to the other for the longest time. "Bloody hell, Shoichi, can't you see that I'm doing this because _**I love you**_?!"

* * *

When Spanner swore softly first, then louder, Shoichi looked up in shock. It wasn't like his roommate to get loud or throw stuff. He blinked in horror at being actually yelled at by his usually calm friend.

Yes, he had become more sensitive, but he had had his reasons for that, hadn't he? But had he really been so unfair to Spanner? Had he ignored the other's attempts to mend their friendship? Really?

Shoichi had stopped trying to dry Mini Mosca. Again Spanner yelled; this time attacking and hitting mark for mark. He had changed and wasn't recognizable anymore? Yes, at the start of the year everything had been okay. But that was before Spanner had broken his heart by getting a girlfriend! Maybe it wasn't fair that he had resented that fact, but how was he to change that? And what had he been supposed to say? Stop seeing her because I want you for myself? Most likely he wouldn't even look at him anymore...

A loud bang echoed through the small, tiled room then, making Shoichi flinch with a start.

Once again, Spanner started on Byakuran. It was like an obsession with him. He had heeded his friend's words, and had been careful around Byakuran, but only at the beginning. He had given the younger man a second chance, and said man had never betrayed him. Thinking of how Byakuran had taken care of him when he had felt sick, he even felt warm feelings flush within him for the other one.

"Stop it, Spanner. Stop saying bad things about Byakuran! He behaved nicer and more caring around me than you these past couple of weeks. Never once did he hurt me. While you drove me away, he welcomed me with open arms! He was the one getting my spirits back up when I thought I didn't have enough strength left after our fights."

For a second, he was still then, thinking about what Spanner said. It wasn't like him to lie. Was there at least some truth to what he claimed? Maybe it had been something misinterpreted? Only then, Spanner said something that Shoichi had wanted to hear for so terribly long. He had never expected it, but still dreamed about it, and now, finally, the moment had arrived, and it hurt so incredibly that Shoichi doubled over in pain. He had wanted to hear these words, but he had wanted them to be true. Getting lied to his face with those three simple words was the cruelest thing the other ever could have done to him.

"Why…? Why do you do this to me?" he choked out. Panting hard, he tried to fight the pain in his stomach and straighten up enough to look at Spanner. "How? How can you lie to me like that? Are you so jealous that you'd rather destroy me than share me?" His words were just above a pained whisper. "What would Mimi say if she'd heard you? How can you be with her and then try to tell me that you love me at the same time?" Shoichi's voice finally broke as his throat dried out and a pained sob broke through.

There was no way to stop the tears that started to flow then. "How could you...?" He choked out once more. It hurt so badly to be betrayed by the one he had loved so deeply. Shoichi had no idea how he did it, but somehow against the pain, he got up. Eyes swimming with tears, he barely saw where he was going; only pushing his way through when he stumbled against Spanner in the door frame. "Let me go!"

He had to get as far away as possible. He had never, ever thought Spanner would be capable of this kind of cruelty, and especially not against himself, but he had just learned his lesson.

* * *

Spanner couldn't believe what he was hearing. Everything Shoichi said to him drove a wooden spike further and further into his heart. Had the other been listening to him at all?! What would make Shoichi think he was lying about every damn thing he just shouted out at the other?!

And then, Shoichi's next words finally hit him; Mimi. No way…had he actually forgotten to tell Shoichi he had broken up with her?! Spanner could only stare at Shoichi flabbergasted as this bit of information finally took hold. The moment Mimi was out of his life, it was like she was out of his mind as well. Once in a while, he would think about her bitterly, but it wouldn't be enough for him to think about talking to Shoichi about her. Hell, half of the time, Shoichi wasn't even at the apartment, and the other half consisted of Spanner trying so hard to just keep their friendship together, so was it any surprise that he had forgotten about Mimi?

But still, that ignorance on his part was the final straw for Shoichi. His true feelings were seen as a lie. Hell, everything he had shouted at Shoichi a moment prior had been completely dismissed by the other, like it had been pointless gibberish spoken by a mad man, and now his best friend was crying before him.

It was that next moment that the blonde teen saw Shoichi struggle to his feet and try to run past him, but, since Spanner was in the doorway, he caught his friend on the way out. Shoichi tried to struggle from his grip, but Spanner held tight, trying to explain himself one more time.

"No, Shoichi, wait! It's not like that! I don't…" But just as the young mechanic uttered these words, he caught a glimpse of Shoichi's tear stained face. He swore he saw hate swirl within the other's fiery emerald orbs.

Shocked by this sight, Spanner felt his grip loosen because of it, which caused Shoichi to take advantage of the situation. It took the young programmer no time at all to free himself from Spanner's grip and stumble out the door; slamming it in his wake. All the British teen could do was stare at the door in horror, the last few moments of their conversation replaying over and over again in his head.

Spanner knew that the falling out between him and Shoichi wasn't entirely Byakuran's fault, nor was it Shoichi's, because he knew he had a part in it, too. It was his stupidity when it came to anything socialized. He knew he could be dense at times, and it was because of that, that he had failed to tell Shoichi about how he had broken up with Mimi a long time ago. He knew there were things he needed to apologize to Shoichi for, too, but he also knew he wasn't completely at fault for everything that had transpired between them. Shoichi and Byakuran were as much at fault as he was, but neither of them saw it that way; Shoichi especially. No, it was _**his**_ entire fault, and Shoichi didn't want to believe it any other way.

Falling to his knees, Spanner's body shook in anguish at this piece of knowledge. Everything he had tried to convey to the other a moment ago hadn't even fazed his friend. Shoichi didn't believe or agree with a single damn word that came from his mouth, even before those three final words were mentioned. In fact, it was those three words that just made Shoichi believe all the more that Spanner was the biggest arse in the entire universe. So now, because of that, there was no way in hell Shoichi probably wanted anything more to do with him.

Spanner had lost Shoichi for good. He had lost the person he thought most dearly of; the person he cherished above anything else. And now, there was nothing else he could do to rectify the situation.

Shoichi was _**gone**_.


	5. Chapter 5

Hi there!

So here it is, the fifth chapter. I know some of you really wanted to hit us for ending on a mean cliffhanger like we did last time ;D Please, don't be too mad at Shoichi, people in love sometimes do the stupidest things. Anyone with ill feelings towards him might even feel satisfied with this chapter. For those of you who like the drama, we finally hit rock-bottom but the silver lining is on the horizon, too ^_^

Once more we would like to thank those of you who took the time to review and anyone who follows and faved us. Please remember, we need those reviews to continue, because we need to know you are still interested and we want to know what you think.

We hope you will enjoy this chapter, there should be something in it for everyone!

**Warnings for this chapter:** drama and angst

* * *

**Chapter 5**

His feet found their way without him looking where he went most of the time. The young programmer just couldn't stop the tears from falling, while his arms were wrapped around his turning stomach. He had hoped he was over Spanner with all the attention Byakuran was showering him with, but if that were really the case, it could never hurt this much to feel betrayed by him.

Shoichi found himself before Byakuran's door once more. His friend's place had become his second home. It didn't take the white-haired genius long to open after he rang.

"Oh my...Sho-chan, you look awful!"

He wrapped his arm around Shoichi and drew him close, shutting the door behind them. He then led the red-eyed Shoichi to his couch.

"Did he hurt you?" He just asked.

"More than I ever thought possible," the red-head whispered despondently, but then shook his head. "Not…Not like that..." New tears fell, and a sob shook his body. How could he cry about his lost love to the one who really wanted to be with him? "I...I just want to forget," he rasped as his voice was sore from crying.

Byakuran took in the pitiful form of his sweet Sho-chan. And Spanner thought he was the one to deserve him? Not with the way he treated him. Byakuran would take care of Shoichi and grant his wish. He would make him forget all about Spanner.

They were sitting next to each other on the couch, with Byakuran having an arm around the older one's lower back. His other hand went for the red-head's soft cheek and turned his face to him. "Don't cry, sweet Sho-chan. I'll make you forget," he promised with a soft and alluring voice. Leaning in, he kissed Shoichi then.

The programmer's surprised gasp was used by Byakuran once more to dive into the other's mouth. The skilled tongue soon had Shoichi moaning softly to himself, but there were tears running down his cheeks still that Shoichi just couldn't stop.

"_**I love you!"**_ Spanner's voice echoed in his head, hurting him again and again. If it were just true! And why was he thinking of this when he was in the arms of another? Only then did he realize that he was suddenly on his back and Byakuran above him, his hand making its way under his t-shirt.

Wha...What was Byakuran doing? Did he really want this...? Byakuran stroked his flat, naked belly, and even though it felt good in a physical way, it felt very wrong to Shoichi at the same time.

"_**I love you!" **_Again, he heard Spanner's voice. Even if it had been a lie, he somehow could not stop thinking about it; still hoping against hope. This was proof enough to Shoichi that he shouldn't go through with this. He realized he was still too hooked up on Spanner to give his love to Byakuran.

* * *

Mini Mosca stared at the hunched over form of his 'Daddy', his scanners indicating the man was very distraught, and far more depressed than he had been for the last couple of weeks. The little robot knew that the most logical thing to do was to go after his 'Mommy', but it seemed that his 'Daddy' had too much on his mind to try and bother.

Moving up towards the sad image before him, Mini Mosca's caterpillar-belted feet moved through an inch or so of water to get to his 'Daddy'. There, the little robot's scanners were able to take in every minute detail of the man hunched over in the entry way to the apartment. Spanner was down on his knees on the water-soaked floor, his already wet and disheveled appearance becoming worse by the second as the young man cried into his hands.

The little robot reached one of his big hands outwards to pat Spanner softly on the back, but the man didn't show any signs that he noticed Mini Mosca's presence. Feeling the other's body continue to shake from his sorrow, Mini Mosca deduced that his 'Daddy' wouldn't be of much use at the moment, concerning they had to catch up with Mommy.

Leaving the broken man on the floor, Mini Mosca opened the door to the apartment and left, shutting the door behind him. Immediately after he did this, he turned on his infrared camera and followed Shoichi's heated foot prints. The little robot already knew there was a high probability of his 'Mommy' going to see the Marshmallow Demon, but he just wanted to be certain, and followed the footprints anyway.

It didn't take long for the robot to catch up with his mother-figure, in fact, since Shoichi was stumbling over himself from his stomach pains, he hadn't gained much distance. It was here that Mini Mosca contemplated on whether he should actually approach the other and try to explain. With some calculation, he found the answer to be no. It was evident that his 'Mommy' was too emotionally unstable to think about listening to him. Before he could approach the other man, he had to snap out of his turmoil first, or he wouldn't listen to reason.

It's because of that, Mini Mosca followed stealthily behind the other until Shoichi reached Byakuran's apartment. Once his 'Mommy' went inside with the Marshmallow Demon, the little robot moved up towards the door and pressed against it, trying to get the best image and sound quality he could.

After a few minutes passed and Shoichi and Byakuran's conversation waned, Mini Mosca could detect the distress levels his 'Mommy' was experiencing. Once the Marshmallow Demon began to lie on top of Shoichi, the programmer's distress levels even began to escalate. Mini Mosca could even hear his 'Mommy' begin to plead and try to persuade the other man to stop. The little robot beeped in uncertainty as his programming tried to come up with the best solution for the scenario at work. Seeing no other choice, Mini Mosca sent an emergency signal to his 'Daddy's' computer. If the other man didn't answer the call, Mini Mosca knew his next best option was to intervene himself, despite a higher probability of danger.

* * *

"Ngh...Ngh...Ngh!" Shoichi tried to tell Byakuran that he wanted him to stop, only this wasn't too easy with the other's tongue halfway down his throat. His hand grabbed the one under his shirt to stop its progress towards one of his nipples as he turned his head to end their kiss.

"Bya-kun...please...I can't..." Shoichi rasped, his voice sore from crying. "Please...don't...I can't do this."

"Oh yes you can, Sho-chan," Byakuran murmured, nipping at the other's throat, since the lips were out of reach. "You need this."

"No. Please...stop it. I don't...I don't want this," Shoichi groaned, his voice a bit firmer then.

"Yes, you do. You know you do...You said it yourself." Byakuran licked along the soft skin of his friend's neck. His hand escaped Shoichi's grasp to roam the skin once more. "You wanted to forget...I'll make you forget...I'll make you forget all about Spanner-kun...You won't even remember he ever existed," he promised.

Shoichi was well aware of what he had said. Still, he only had talked about the events that had happened tonight. Of course he knew Byakuran couldn't fulfill his promise, couldn't magically make him forget. Still, something in him changed. However much he hurt because of the young mechanic, the thought of truly forgetting about Spanner, maybe forever, was unbearable. The desperation he felt at this thought made him find his strength again.

"No...I said no, Byakuran...Stop it! I don't want this!" Shoichi stated firmly.

The white haired genius's hand changed its tactics. Instead of up, were his friend's hand waited to catch his, it went downwards. He stroked Shoichi's crotch, making him moan and squirm involuntarily. "Your lips might say no, but your body betrays you. You want this, you crave it. I'll give it to you; all of it...I will make you forget."

Panic rose in Shoichi then. He did not want this to happen, and he had stated his intent clearly, but Byakuran ignored him, fondling him. "Ngh! No...stop it...I don't want this...No...Byakuran...No! Please stop!" As his firmer voice was ignored almost completely, Shoichi returned to begging.

Rubbing his hand rhythmically over the growing bulge in the red-head's pants, Byakuran looked at him with dark, violet eyes. "Yes, you do, I have the evidence right here."

* * *

All Spanner could feel was the agonizing pain he was in. With Shoichi gone, and the other hating him more than anything else, Spanner felt like his soul was being torn to shreds. All he could hear in the apartment were his cries of despair, which, if the young mechanic had enough sense at the moment to reflect on, he would have found surreal. The last time he had openly cried, the last time he had showed such strong emotions, was at his parents' funeral when he was five. In a sense, what he was feeling at the moment was similar, if not exactly the same, as when he had lost his parents. Spanner could only feel the gaping loss in his heart.

Somehow, through his cries, another sound actually reached his ears. It was loud and blaring, and took the British teen completely by surprise. He laid there motionless on the floor, staring at his bedroom with a dumbfounded expression as the siren-like sound began to escalate in strength and urgency.

His emotionally distraught brain finally realized what the sound was; it was Mini Mosca's alarm call!

"Mini Mosca?!" Spanner called out hoarsely, his voice cracking at how much he had abused it in the last half hour. When he heard no response from the little robot, the blonde teen drug himself to his feet as fast as he could and shakily made his way to his room to see his computer monitor flashing red.

Not knowing what to think about anything anymore, Spanner's concern went to one of the few people he still had in his life. If Mini Mosca was in trouble, he wasn't going to let anything happen to him. He couldn't afford to lose anybody else!

Sitting in his desk chair and placing his headset on his head, Spanner opened the communications link.

"M…M Squared, this is Alpha Wrench," Spanner spoke as best as he could, given that his throat felt raw from the amount of yelling and crying he had done recently, "Do you copy, over? What's wrong?"

Almost immediately, the young mechanic heard a frantic beep of affirmation before an infrared image attacked his retinas. Spanner could only blink in confusion, trying to pick out who Mini Mosca was spying on and what was going on in the picture, but when he heard the audio clip accompanying the live footage, everything clicked into place. Shoichi's desperate pleas, along with the position and movements Byakuran were making, made the scenario all too evident to the British teen.

Spanner was at a complete loss for words as he stared at his computer screen in a horror struck fashion, but as Shoichi's pleas became more desperate, it was like something switched on in Spanner's brain and overrode the emotional turmoil that conflicted within him.

"Mini Mosca, get in there and distract Byakuran!" Spanner shouted into his microphone with absolute fury. "Get him off of Shoichi for good measure! I'm on my way!"

Hearing the affirmed beep on the other end from the little robot, Spanner tore his headset off his head and threw it onto his desk unceremoniously. With strength he was surprised he still had, the enraged teen tore out of his room and his apartment in seconds, his photographic memory telling him where to go to get to Byakuran's apartment.

As Spanner was running, Mini Mosca was distancing himself from the White Menace's door. When he reached the opposite wall, he shot forward as fast as his caterpillar-belted feet could move him. With his arms out in front of him, Mini Mosca slammed into Byakuran's door at full force, knocking the door in with a loud bang and splintering the wood. The door laid half-way off its hinges, but the little robot paid it no mind; his eyes were dead set on the man hurting his Mommy!

With erratic beeps, the little robot practically flew over to the couch, grabbed the completely surprised Byakuran, and threw him off of Shoichi and across the room. And, for good measure, Mini Mosca initiated the melting sequence for his butter compartment. Moving forward faster than what anyone could have predicted from his bulky stature, Mini Mosca hovered over Byakuran and promptly squirted hot butter all over the man's face and upper body.

Once that deed was done, Mini Mosca moved backwards to stand protectively before the couch, his arms in a karate-like defense stance as he prepared for a counter attack. That evil man wasn't going to touch his Mommy ever again!

* * *

Despair was grabbing at Shoichi when Byakuran kept fondling him, despite his pleas. He hated how his body betrayed him and the way the other one was using this fact. He really didn't want this! He didn't! But before he could fall into frantic movements to try and shake the younger, yet pretty strong man, off, a loud crash was heard that stopped even Byakuran in his tracks.

As the white-haired man was looking to the side to see what the commotion was all about, Shoichi used this chance to shove his hand away and try to wriggle out of the other's grasp. Feeling this, Byakuran was just about to tighten his hold when he was suddenly ripped clear off of him.

Shoichi tried to get his bearings. Blinking to clear his tear stained eyes, he straightened his glasses that hung askew after the skirmish to see what was happening. To his utter surprise, his rescue came in the form of the tiniest knight in shining armor in all of history. He saw the little robot spray hot butter all over Byakuran's face, who screamed in pain and rage.

"Mini!" Shoichi exclaimed in surprise and relief at the same time.

More tears streaked his face as the tiny robot approached him, protecting him in a defensive stand. At least, this time, his tears were not born of despair, but of gratitude and love for their little creation. "Mini Mosca," he whispered in awe.

Byakuran rubbed at his burning face and eyes. "_What the fuckin' hell?! This ugly trashcan dared to disturb him in his moment of victory?! Shoichi would have been his only moments later! He would not let himself get beaten so easily!"_ With a growl, he got up and was about to charge for the little menace when, suddenly, his own voice filled the room.

"Man, you really blew it big time, hahaha. You know that little robotics thingy you built that trashcan for? It's held the same time as our big programmer's competition. With the way you treated our sweet Sho-chan, he's already decided to be with me at the main event. And to think...sweet Sho-chan was so head-over-heels for a loser like you…Well, not anymore. Hahaha. He's mine now, and I won't let him go."

Shoichi's eyes went wide at what he heard. There was only one time when Byakuran could have said something like this, and sure enough, Spanner's voice was answering then. The red-head focused on Byakuran.

"I never said anything of the like! I didn't even know it was at the same time!" A rage he couldn't muster while he was attacked himself, overwhelmed Shoichi then. "How could you say that?! Mini is one of the most advanced robots in this world! And...And...Spanner isn't a loser! He's a genius, and he's my best friend!"

Mini Mosca kept playing the confrontation he had recorded on that day, and, once more, Byakuran's voice was heard. "Don't get your hopes up, Spanner-kun, you won't get to pick up the pieces. Once I'm done, he'll even forget about your name. Like I said, he's mine now, and I intend to keep him, hahaha. He tastes even sweeter than marshmallows, did you know? Ah...I forgot, you wouldn't."

Shoichi's arms wrapped around himself then. He felt like he was naked before Byakuran's eyes. His tears had stopped in his rage and shock at what he had heard. "How could you?! How could you say that and...and do what you...tried...?" He trailed off, too appalled at what he feared would have happened if Mini Mosca hadn't come when he did.

Byakuran had frozen in the middle of taking action. It wasn't the little trashcan that stopped him with its antics. He could have easily trashed it like it deserved, but the way Shoichi looked at him was what really halted him. He actually was in love with the red-head, even if it was in a very possessive and slightly twisted way, but seeing the kind of disgust and feeling of betrayal in Shoichi's eyes now, he knew he had lost his chance.

Realization once more struck the red-head. Spanner had told him the truth! The way he sounded in the recording, he was in so much rage! So, Spanner did feel something for him at least...

Shoichi remembered the bandaged hand and thought of the dent in the wall. He thought of the harsh, mean things he had thrown at Spanner not an hour ago and had a sinking feeling. What had he done?! A sound of pure misery escaped him as his stomach clenched painful once more. Had it been true what Spanner had told him last? _**"I love you!" **_But even if it had been true, he had blown any minimalistic chance he had had with Spanner with the words he had thrown at him. With Byakuran trying to take him against his will, and the one he really loved hating him now for sure, Shoichi felt like this was the end of his world.

* * *

Spanner couldn't remember ever running as hard as he did now. He must have looked like a complete mess to passersby. His baggy, water-soaked clothes were weighing him down, his hair was in complete disarray, his eyes were puffy and red, and he thought he was going to pass out from the exertion he was putting forth. The British teen was a mechanic, not an athlete!

The young mechanic only dared to stop for a few seconds to catch his breath about half-way to his destination. With every second he wasted, that only meant that Shoichi and Mini Mosca would have to put up with Byakuran all the longer, but it was so hard to run in his condition. His endurance was beyond ridiculously low from his lack of actual exercise. He felt pathetic and truly helpless in that moment.

Berating himself, but more than willing to continue, Spanner took off for Byakuran's apartment after gathering his second wind. As he ran, he couldn't help but think over the situation he was in. Any normal person in his position would have probably just left Shoichi with Byakuran as punishment; in a sense, it would be like the other teen getting his just desserts for the amount of hurt the programmer had put him through. But Spanner couldn't bring himself to abandon Shoichi. Even though the other probably hated him, Shoichi was still his best friend and Spanner loved him. He couldn't just let Byakuran have his way! The white-haired man's actions had completely ruined their friendship, broke both his and Shoichi's hearts, and now he was hurting Shoichi even more by trying to take advantage of him in his vulnerable state.

Spanner would _**never**_ forgive him!

With his body running on pure rage, Spanner made his way into Byakuran's apartment complex with an ominous aura. When the enraged teen finally arrived at the taller teen's apartment after going through the main area, he noticed how the door was smashed open. Knowing he was in the right place, the young mechanic gathered all of his reserved energy as he slowed down to a fast walk. With a menacing air surrounding him, Spanner entered the apartment, spotted Byakuran, immediately made his way over to the unsuspecting teen, brought back his fist, and promptly sucker punched the white-haired teen hard in the face.

Even though Spanner had put all his rage and heart-ache into that single punch, it still didn't satisfy him when he saw the other man fall to the floor in an unceremonious heap. Quickly straddling Byakuran's waist, Spanner grabbed the teen's buttered-up shirt with one hand and spat into his face.

"_**You bloody, fucking bastard**_!" Spanner screamed in rage, his eyes flashing dangerously like ice-blue flames. "How dare you…you…"

But Spanner couldn't finish his sentence. So much anger had a hold of him in that moment that no words could adequately describe what he felt. So, instead, he punched the white-haired teen in the face again with all his might; drawing blood from Byakuran's mouth.

"That first punch was for hurting Shoichi!" Spanner shouted furiously as he glared menacingly down into Byakuran's still surprised eyes. "That second one was for bloody messing with my mind! And this," the young mechanic continued as he slammed Byakuran's head into the floor, making the other teen see stars, "was for calling Mini Mosca a trashcan!"

Knowing that Byakuran was stunned for the moment, Spanner immediately got up from his position and made his way over to the couch where he saw a teary eyed Shoichi.

"Watch my back Mini Mosca," the British teen commanded as he passed by the little robot.

Hearing a beep of affirmation, Spanner knelt down before the couch, his expression caught between his still stewing anger, despair, and concern. He bet he looked hopeless to Shoichi. Would the other even want to see him?

"A-Are you okay, Shoichi?" Spanner asked cautiously, afraid to touch the other in case he reacted badly due to his new traumatic experience. "Byakuran didn't get too far did he? Can you walk at least?"

* * *

Caught in the throes of despair, Shoichi was lost on what to do. He knew he had to leave, to make an escape, but he just could not gather the strength. The only place for him to go was his home where Spanner waited. He would take one look at him and be even more disgusted with him than he must already be. Hadn't he just gotten what he deserved?

Just as he was spiraling deeper into the darkness that wanted to grab him, suddenly, there he was. Shoichi's eyes went wide.

"S-Spanner..." he whispered in awe.

His blonde friend marched right up to Byakuran, who had no idea what was happening, and floored him with a perfect right. The next moment, Spanner straddled him and even spat at him. Rage flowed in waves off the mechanic like Shoichi never had known before. After screaming, he hit Byakuran once more. Dark red blood marred the white skin as his lip split from the impact.

Even though it might be barbaric, Shoichi couldn't help but feel a distinct satisfaction at seeing Byakuran treated as such, and by Spanner to boot. His best friend had all the right in the world to make Byakuran pay.

The white-haired teen himself lay in a daze. "_What the hell had happened to Spanner?_" He knew the other pretty long, too, but he had never shown such a display of emotions before! This kind of rage could only grow from another emotion. Byakuran looked at Shoichi from the corner of his eye as he felt blood trickle down the side of his face. He saw the awe and the love in his friend's eyes.

"_So that's how it is, huh?" _While he still realized this, Spanner smashed his head against the floor. "_Wow... damn_..." Byakuran could gather his strength once his head cleared a bit. It would be pretty easy for him to squash Spanner like a fly and still take Shoichi for himself, but Sho-chan would forever hate him. Byakuran had learned from their old future. Even with all the power of all the universes, you still could not have everything just because you desired it. Some things were still out of grasp, and Sho-chan's love was one of those things; he finally understood. At least with the way Spanner had just attacked him, it seemed Shoichi's own love wasn't as hopeless a cause.

Shoichi felt his heart start to race when Spanner shouted that this was revenge for him, too. His friend then left Byakuran to his own devices and came to him. No matter how disheveled the other one looked right now, he had never looked better to Shoichi than he did right then. Spanner had actually come for him, even after all the mean things he had said!

He was kneeling before him and was asking so careful how he was. With new tears swimming in his eyes, Shoichi just wrapped his arms around Spanner's neck. "I'm so sorry...I'm so sorry...I'm so sorry..." he whispered over and over as he buried his face against the other's neck. As the tears fell again, he managed some more words of apology. "I was...such an idiot...I never meant...to hurt you...I should have believed you..."

The way he pressed his face into Spanner's neck, the nose pads of his glasses pricked uncomfortably into his nose, but for the moment, he just couldn't let go of the other one and held onto him like he was the most precious thing in this world; which he was.

* * *

All of a sudden, Shoichi latched onto Spanner for dear life, and the young mechanic didn't know how to take it. He stiffened immediately, not used to being touched, or hugged for that matter. But as soon as his best friend's words reached his ears, a mixture of pain and warmth spread through him. As much as he had wanted to hear that apology for a long time, it still hurt him to know that Shoichi was in such pain.

Wrapping his arms around the man he loved, Spanner tried to ignore the slight irritation Shoichi's glasses were causing as they poked into the skin of his neck and shoulder blade, and buried his face into the crook of Shoichi's neck in turn. The overwhelmed British teen felt tears start to prick at his eyes as he was overcome with all the emotions he had felt over the past hour, but when he finally settled down, so did his emotions. All he could feel in that moment was concern for Shoichi.

"Do you really mean that?" Spanner asked hopefully, desperation in his voice. He didn't want to wake up and find out this was all a dream, and that Shoichi was happy with Byakuran. Spanner was sure he would never be able to handle it.

Squeezing the distraught programmer tighter against him, Spanner brought himself up from Shoichi's neck in order to whisper into his ear.

"I meant everything I said to you, Shoichi; especially the last thing I told you."

Spanner could feel a blush coming onto his cheeks as he remembered the words of love he had shouted at Shoichi, but before he could get lost in that memory, he saw Byakuran stirring out of the corner of his eye. Disentangling himself from the smaller man, Spanner made his way over to the White Menace with a completely serious air. He could talk to Shoichi more after this, but right now, it was important to take him as far away from the crazy clown as possible.

As the taller man finally stood, Spanner marched up to him and took a fist full of his shirt, bringing their faces close.

"If you ever hurt, or try to hurt, Shoichi again," Spanner spat out threateningly, "I'll _**kill**_ you."

He glared heatedly into Byakuran's eyes after that, making sure his message was getting across. Truly, if it wasn't for Shoichi's presence, the young mechanic would have found no qualms in ending Byakuran's existence right then. Surely, the world wouldn't mourn the loss.

Feeling like his threat was taken into consideration, Spanner quickly made his way back to Shoichi.

"Your stomach is probably giving you troubles, so I'll help you walk," the blonde teen uttered seriously as he, without thinking, wrapped one of his arms around Shoichi's back and the other under his knees.

Picking up Shoichi bridal style, Spanner held the other close to him in a possessive gesture as he glared one more time at Byakuran. With his baby-blue eyes never leaving the mad clown's, Spanner backed out of the apartment with Shoichi in tow, Mini Mosca following behind them. When Spanner finally exited the room, the little robot turned to look at Byakuran again, tried to make it look like he was puffing out his chest, and promptly brushed his mechanical shoulders off even though there was no dust to be found on them. With that action done with, Mini Mosca left the apartment to follow after his parents.

* * *

When Spanner's arms closed around him, a wave of warmth rolled through Shoichi. Maybe they still had a chance. Maybe Spanner truly could forgive him. With his friend's face buried against his neck, too, they stayed that way for a moment, just holding each other.

"Of course I do...I'm so sorry to have caused you pain..." Shoichi answered softly. He was squeezed even tighter then and sighed. He trembled in Spanner's arms at the words whispered into his ear. _"__It was true... It was really true..." _Turning his head, he looked at the other with hope in his eyes. His tears had finally stopped in Spanner's arms. When he saw the soft blush on the other's face, though, he blushed himself. This wasn't a dream, Spanner really did love him!

Only reluctantly, he let the other one go. He had felt so secure in his arms. But he had seen Byakuran move, too, and did not want to get surprise attacked by him.

Finally, the white-haired genius had his bearings again, and got up from the ground. When Spanner came up to him and grabbed his shirt, he didn't quite know how to react. One part of him wanted to laugh at the smaller mechanic and his delusions of grandeur, but waves of menace and actual killing intent flowing from the other made him think twice. Whether he could actually pull it off or not, Spanner meant every word he said right then. Even Byakuran had to sleep some time, and those nasty Moscas of his were killing machines even he had to reckon with. He had never intended to hurt Sho-chan in any way, but obviously, those two saw it differently. At least he was leaving the little red-head in capable hands, it seemed. He decided it was best to just stay still and let them leave.

As he watched Spanner confront and even threaten Byakuran, Shoichi's heart raced again. He felt fear for Spanner, since they both knew what the Millefiore man was capable off. Still, he never hesitated, which made Shoichi respect his friend even more. He felt his love for Spanner grow even deeper then.

His love returned to him, one eye always on Byakuran. "Ehm...well..." Shoichi was mumbling his answer. Actually, he felt better ever since Spanner had wrapped his arms around him, but before he could answer anything like that, he found himself lifted into the arms of his friend. Shoichi's eyes went wide and his face grew as red as his hair was. "S-Spanner!" For a second, he was unsure if he should feel indignation at getting carried this way, but it just felt too good for him to care; to be held safely in those strong arms like this. Wrapping his arms around Spanner's neck in turn, he just buried his face in his love's chest, a bit embarrassed, nonetheless.

Byakuran watched Spanner carry Sho-chan off bridal style and couldn't help but smirk. "I hope he'll make you happy," he whispered to himself. The last to leave was that little trashcan of a robot. When he brushed off his poor excuses for shoulders in an attempt at looking cool, Byakuran actually had to laugh. "You really are a feisty one, aren't you?!"

Shoichi understood very quickly that Spanner had no intention of letting him down before they reached their apartment. He knew the mechanic had the strength to do so, but it was still pretty embarrassing somehow, and he just hoped they didn't meet anyone they knew. He just kept his face buried in the blonde mechanic's chest.

When they finally arrived at their apartment, the landlord and maintenance guy just exited it. "We got the water off the floor and surfaces pretty good, but the couch won't be dry for at least 2 days, and your TV should be fried. You're lucky no water seeped through to the apartment below, so you'll only have to pay the damage for your own," they were told.

Shoichi groaned. With all that had happened, he had actually forgotten about what had happened to their apartment. "Will…Will you let me down, now?" he asked carefully, once they entered their apartment. He did not even want to contemplate what those two men now thought of them. What he needed, though, was to talk to Spanner in earnest now, and he would rather do that standing on his own two feet.

* * *

The long walk home was rather silent, with Shoichi keeping his face buried into Spanner's chest, and the whirring of Mini Mosca's belted feet the only source of noise between them. Spanner contemplated over the course of the day as he carried Shoichi back to the apartment. Today had been crazy, and the young mechanic almost couldn't believe that he was holding Shoichi in his arms; that he had saved him from Byakuran.

By the time they got back to the apartment, Spanner felt emotionally and physically exhausted, and that exhaustion only increased when their landlord and a maintenance guy exited their apartment and told them the extent of the damage. Spanner wasn't looking forward to the bill he knew would be sent to them.

Once Spanner walked inside, he heard Shoichi's request and gladly followed it. He didn't want to admit it, but his arms felt like lead after twenty minutes of carrying the other. Setting Shoichi gently down on his feet, Spanner heard Mini Mosca close the apartment door behind them and immediately head off into the kitchen to start cleaning. Knowing that the mess he had created was still there, Spanner let out a sigh.

"Um, I should probably change out of my clothes. They're still a little wet from the sprinklers," the young mechanic mentioned as he rubbed the back of his neck. "And I should help clean up the kitchen afterwards. Since the couch is still wet, how about you just go and lay down on your bed, Shoichi. I'm sure today has been exhausting for you…"

* * *

Very gently, the red-head was set down, while Mini Mosca closed the door and headed for the kitchen.

Shoichi watched the little robot go, like he was waiting for their child to be out of ear shot. Of course, that comparison didn't quite work out, since Mini Mosca would even be able to hear them from the next room if he wanted to. Still, he only turned to Spanner when the little one was on the other side of the room.

He put a hand on Spanner's arm. "I'm sure it's uncomfortable in those wet pants, but...but could you wait a moment before you change?" Shoichi pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and looked into the other's eyes then. "I was...overwhelmed that you came for me when you did, Spanner. And...And after all I said to you...I can't tell you what that meant to me...and how grateful I am. Thank you." He swallowed around the lump in his throat. Strong emotions raged around in him, but he had no stomach pains, yet.

Taking a deep breath, Shoichi tried to calm himself. "I'm sorry I didn't believe you, that I didn't believe what you told me. But...But I need to know..." He felt his voice break when he reached that one point he was still concerned about. "I...I love you, Spanner…I've loved you since before the Choice war, but I can't...I just can't bear to take the second seat...Tell me…Tell me what you intend to do about Mimi," he finally demanded.

No matter how much he loved Spanner, and how glad he was that his feelings were finally returned, he couldn't bear the thought of sharing him with another; man or woman didn't matter in the least to him. He needed to know before he allowed himself to truly believe there could be a happy end for him.

* * *

When he felt Shoichi stop him, Spanner felt his breath hitch at the touch. He watched on in curiosity as he saw his friend prepare himself to say something. When his best friend's words finally reached his ears, Spanner was beyond touched that Shoichi had even bothered to fully apologize. And, when he said those three special words, the young mechanic was certain his heart had melted on the spot. He had known that Shoichi had liked him, but to hear the words himself, to know that Shoichi still wanted to love him after everything that had happened, it was more than Spanner could ask for. But, before he could feel too happy, Spanner heard the question about Mimi, and he almost slapped himself in the forehead. Why did he keep forgetting to bring her up?!

Bowing his head in shame, the British teen prepared himself for what he was about to say. There was a good chance Shoichi would be upset with him. What Spanner feared the most, though, was that Shoichi would run away from him again. He couldn't bear that thought!

Gathering his courage, Spanner finally muttered, "I'm so sorry, Shoichi. I should have told you a long time ago. That day…you know…when you walked in on Mimi kissing me? That was the day I broke up with her."

Taking a deep breath, Spanner continued to explain while he kept his eyes averted from the other; too ashamed to look him in the eyes.

"Actually, that was the first time she kissed me on the lips. We had only pecked each other on the cheek, but even I found the action to be…well…weird. She basically threw herself on me that night and went all out. Needless to say, it felt beyond weird to the point of violation on my part. She was always so bloody clingy and using up all of my money that I'm surprised we lasted for as long as we did."

Hesitantly glancing Shoichi's way, Spanner finally made tentative eye contact.

"Looking back on it, I knew that I didn't like Mimi in that way. She was nice, and pretty, but I was mainly going out with her as an obligation, since my Gramps was so pushy. I always had more fun hanging out with you, so when I noticed that you were getting so touchy around me and running away from me, I was able to figure out my feelings for you, too. I…I think I've loved you for as long as I've known you, Shoichi, but I can't be certain. All I know is that I've cared deeply for you for a long time, but I was too dense to realize it."

And with that, Spanner bowed deeply; his regret showing in his body language and voice.

"I'm so sorry, Shoichi, for not realizing my feelings until it was almost too late, and for not telling you about Mimi. I usually just forgot about her, but whenever she did cross my mind, I was either busy with something else or you weren't around long enough for me to remember to tell you. I'm so sorry. If I told you sooner, then we probably wouldn't have had our misunderstanding, and Byakuran wouldn't have…wouldn't have almost…"

Biting his lip, Spanner couldn't bring himself to say the horrible thing that had almost happened to his friend. If only he hadn't been so forgetful, and if only he hadn't been so dense, everything would have gone differently for them and they probably wouldn't have wasted so much time hurting each other! The young mechanic knew he wasn't completely at fault for everything, but all the trouble started because of his ignorance!

* * *

At first, Spanner fell silent when Shoichi asked him about Mimi. Did he need time to contemplate? He did remember that kiss the other was talking about a second later only too vividly, and he hated that memory, but when he got his real answer, he just blinked in a dumbfounded manner at his friend.

"You broke up with her that day?" Shoichi repeated in a whisper to make it clearer for himself.

It actually made sense. He hadn't seen her around after that. Since Spanner never said anything about it, he had just assumed they were still together! Also, it felt good to Shoichi to know nothing happened between the two but a kiss.

He watched the other one closely as he explained his feelings. Actually, it was just so typically Spanner to just forget about Mimi once she was out of the picture, especially with Mini Mosca still in the works. He really tended to have a one track mind! But the ability to focus on his projects so intensely was one of the things he loved about Spanner, so how could he hold that against him?

With a small smile, Shoichi put his hand on Spanner's shoulder, nudging him to stand straight again. "He didn't. Nothing happened. Mini came to the rescue long before that," he said softly, trying to reassure his love. "I'm glad nothing happened, though. Neither between me and Byakuran nor between you and Mimi," he confessed then.

Looking deeply into the ice-blue eyes of his beloved, he said softly, "I love you, Spanner. Only you." There was something more he wanted to say, and something he wanted to do, but he held back. After what Spanner had said about his experience with Mimi, he was unsure if anything like that was welcome at all.

Taking a shuddering breath, he let his hand drop from Spanner's shoulder. "I...I just wanted you to know that," he said lamely.

* * *

When he heard that Mini Mosca had reached Shoichi in time, Spanner let out a great sigh of relief, but when he heard Shoich's next words, a heavy blush covered his cheeks.

"I-I'm glad too. Just thinking of that…that monster touching you…" But Spanner couldn't continue; the thought was too heart-wrenching. The blush on his cheeks grew heavier, though, when he diverted his attention from Byakuran to focus on the meaning behind Shoichi's words. Did that mean that Shoichi only wanted Spanner to touch him like that?

Before Spanner could pass out from all the blood rushing to his face in that next moment, Shoichi interrupted his thoughts with those three special words that left Spanner breathless. Amazing warmth spread through him at Shoichi's admittance, but then he noticed some form of restrained yearning sparkling in the other's dark green eyes. The blonde teen could tell that Shoichi wanted to say something else, or at least do something, but he stopped himself, letting his hand drop from the British teen's shoulder.

Missing the warmth, Spanner immediately took Shoichi's hands in his own and stared deeply into his love's eyes, just like the other had done to him moments prior.

"I-I love you too, Shoichi. You've been the only one, since I can remember," Spanner murmured breathlessly as he brought his face closer to the young programmer's. Never before had he had such a desire. He had never felt this way with Mimi. Spanner had never wanted to do anything physical with her in the slightest. But now, standing here before Shoichi, he couldn't stop thinking about what the other would taste like, and how it would feel in comparison to Mimi's kiss. Would he like it more, or would it still be weird?

As much as he wanted to try, he couldn't bring himself to just kiss the other. Shoichi had just gotten out of a traumatic experience with Byakuran, right? He didn't want to suddenly kiss the other and make Shoichi feel like he was being taken advantage of again! But just the thought of Byakuran being Shoichi's first kiss, and knowing he had claimed Shoichi's lips far more than Spanner even bothered with Mimi, it set Spanner's heart aflame with jealousy. He wanted Shoichi to forget about that other man, forget about the way he kissed him, but then would Spanner be any better than Byakuran in the end?

Feeling torn on what to do, because he didn't want to repeat Byakuran's mistake (he never thought he could understand that mad clown's possessiveness when it came to Shoichi, but here he was, probably feeling the exact same way!), Spanner just stared into Shoichi's eyes imploringly.

"Shoichi? Can I…?" Spanner started but broke off in embarrassment, his eyes roving down to Shoichi's lips and then back up to the red-head's eyes. "I…I want to…but if you don't…"

Spanner felt like such an idiot, stuttering before the other like a love-sick puppy. He must have looked ridiculous, too! His clothes were still bagged down with water, his hair was in complete disarray, and he would bet that his eyes were still red-rimmed and swollen from his crying earlier! He must have looked pathetic!

Feeling his insecurities get the better of him, Spanner averted his eyes away then. Byakuran would always outshine Spanner in the attractiveness department. What was he thinking when he thought Shoichi would actually want to kiss a mess like him?

* * *

Just as soon as his hand had dropped away, Spanner took both of his in his own. It was...It was like he didn't want to miss his touch, Shoichi thought, or was he just imagining things? But those baby-blue eyes held his captive in the same way the other's hands did.

When Spanner told him that he loved him this time, Shoichi could really believe it. He felt a wonderful warmth flood him then, a soft tremor going through his body. He had waited so long to hear it, and had lost hope quite a while ago, so to hear it now was almost overwhelming.

Spanner had come closer. They looked into each other's eyes, expectancy obvious in both, but there was also uncertainty. Shoichi felt himself tremble more now. Maybe that was the reason. His love started out to ask him something, but stopped and looked away.

With the way they were so close to each other, the way they both had looked into each other's eyes, Shoichi hoped deeply he was about to do the right thing. Disentangling one hand, he lifted it up to Spanner's neck, the soft caress making the other one look at him once again. Pulling at the other hand, he guided it around him, making Spanner embrace him. His eyes locked with his love then as his face came closer; their lips mere inches apart.

"Yes, Spanner...you can," he whispered softly. He put himself out there. If he had read the signs wrong, he might even make a fool of himself now. But if Spanner had hesitated because he wasn't sure he wanted to go through with it, then Shoichi had made it as easy for him as possible now, while leaving him with the decision to not take him up on the offer if it was still too weird.

* * *

Feeling the other's hand disentangle from his own to touch the back of his neck, Spanner glanced at Shoichi in surprise, the other's warm touch sending a light blush to his cheeks once again. Spanner could feel his face become inflamed then when he saw Shoichi reposition his arm around the programmer's waist, causing the young mechanic to draw his love into him. He was now closer to Shoichi than ever before, and, with Shoichi's lips just a breath away from his, it took everything he had not to just fulfill his newfound desire. Thankfully, before he could do anything he would regret, Spanner finally heard the words he had longed to hear.

A shudder of pleasure rolled down the British teen's spine at how sexy his beloved Shoichi looked then. Shoichi really wanted him to kiss him, even though he was a complete mess at the moment! Happy couldn't begin to describe how Spanner felt then.

"Shoichi…" the blonde teen whispered out in need, his eyes shimmering with desire for the other as he finally brought their lips together in a chaste kiss. An electric shock coursed through Spanner's body at the touch, causing the teen to close his eyes in rapture afterwards when he felt Shoichi press back. Spanner was so surprised by how different the kiss felt compared to the one with Mimi. It felt…right…and not weird at all! The feeling of Shoichi's soft lips against his was more than Spanner could ask for, and the young mechanic couldn't suppress the light sigh of pleasure he felt at their newfound intimacy.

But, even though the kiss was more than he ever thought it could be, Spanner felt like he needed more. He really couldn't taste Shoichi, which he wanted more than anything in that moment. With slight hesitancy, the British mechanic softly licked at Shoichi's lips, tasting a distant, sweet flavor that got Spanner's sugar-loving taste-buds dancing in a frenzy. He wanted to taste more…

* * *

The red-head didn't have to wait long for a reply. He saw desire dancing in Spanner's beautiful eyes, and when his name was whispered in a slightly raw voice, a shiver ran down Shoichi's back. Their lips finally touched and every nerve in Shoichi's body started to tingle. He could feel the proverbial butterflies dance in his stomach, and it didn't feel bad at all.

Where Byakuran had been forceful and demanding, Spanner was gentle and tentative. Shoichi answered the soft pressure with his own, sighing at the sweet feeling as he closed his eyes, knowing he was safe with his love. He softly stroked Spanner's neck when he felt the other's tongue gently lick at his lips. It was so different from the way Byakuran had kissed, who had been out to conquer by overwhelming Shoichi every time and just ravishing him. He couldn't help but moan at the sweet gentleness, opening himself to Spanner.

As the tongue entered his mouth tentatively, his own moved to nudge it softly in welcome. It felt so much better than anything he had felt with Byakuran! Again Shoichi moaned softly. He felt his knees weaken. Letting go of Spanner's hand, he held onto the other's strong shoulder to steady himself. Feeling a bit more secure then, he carefully nudged Spanner's tongue again.

* * *

Feeling the gentle caress of the other's hand against the back of his neck, shivers ran down Spanner's spine. Shoichi willingly opened his mouth for him with a soft moan then. Another shiver coursed throughout Spanner's body at the sexy noise as his tongue slowly entered his new love's mouth. Almost immediately, Shoichi's tongue came over to greet him with a gentle nudge, Spanner gladly rubbing his own tongue against it in a slow and gentle manner.

With a small moan of his own leaving his lips at the sweet friction of their appendages, Spanner almost regretted leaving the other's tongue in order to explore the contours of Shoichi's mouth. Soft sighs and groans left him as his tongue slowly explored Shoichi's mouth, his wet appendage licking every crevice to analyze the taste that was Shoichi. Spanner felt like his taste buds were screaming for more at the delicate sweetness he found. He was unsure what to really consider the flavor as, since it had a certain uniqueness to it, but if he were to figure out the closest flavor, it would have to be a mixture of honey and caramel. It was a sweet mixture that had the young mechanic craving for more.

This kiss was beyond anything Spanner could have expected; Mimi wasn't even a comparison anymore (he couldn't remember their kiss too well anyway). When he felt Shoichi grab his shoulder, and felt the other's tongue nudge his again, Spanner didn't hesitate in giving the young programmer what he wanted. With a newfound passion running through him, Spanner brought his other hand up to cup the back of Shoichi's head, his fingers digging into his love's unruly red hair, as he deepened their kiss. With his tongue tussling with Shoichi's, Spanner let out a low moan as he held his love as close to him as possible, never wanting to let go of the other in fear that this was all a dream, that Shoichi would run away from him again.

Shoichi was more addicting than he could have ever known.

* * *

The red-head's knees weakened even more when Spanner buried his hand in his mass of hair and held the back of his head to deepen their kiss. As his lover's arm was still wrapped around him possessively, though, and he held onto Spanner himself, Shoichi just reveled in the feelings flowing through him.

He moaned more deeply then when the kiss grew more passionate; their tongues winding around one another, rubbing, and playing. It felt wonderful, incredible, and Shoichi never ever wanted it to end, but he just had to. Panting for air, and his cheeks dusted with a blush, he looked into Spanner's eyes with wonder.

"Spanner..." he just whispered in awe. There were a thousand things he wanted to say, but somehow, no words that felt adequate would come to him. He knew part of the reason why he couldn't think too well at the moment was because he was dead tired after all that had happened today. He had one wish now for when he lay down, but did he dare to speak it?

Shoichi had trusted his instincts with the kiss, and it had worked out and felt just unbelievably wonderful. Maybe he should try again. The worst thing that could happen was that the other declined.

"Um...Spanner," Shoichi started out carefully, "I might follow your advice and lay down now...but...but would you...come with me?" He blushed deeply then. "I don't want you to think I…! I mean...would you come and...and just hold me? I...I think I'd feel...safer." It sounded funny, didn't it? After what almost happened with Byakuran, he was asking another man to share his bed now. But this was Spanner, and he loved and trusted him. Looking at the other with big, green, pleading eyes, he begged, "Please?"

* * *

As soon as the two of them parted for much needed air, it surprised Spanner on how much he craved to taste the other again. The young mechanic wanted nothing more than to lose himself in another kiss, but before he could so much as swoop down and steal another one, Shoichi stopped him dead in his tracks with the most mesmerizing stare.

When those emerald green eyes met his, and he heard his name whispered in awe, Spanner could feel himself melt on the spot. He felt like he could get lost in those dark green depths and bask in the warmth the other gave him, since he saw so many emotions flash within them. Spanner was as awed with their first kiss as Shoichi probably was, and he hoped his own eyes could reflect that back to his new love.

Hearing the hesitation in Shoichi's voice the next moment knocked Spanner out of his love-struck daze, though. Feeling concern well up within him for his friend, he listened intently to what Shoichi wanted to ask of him. What he heard surprised him, but filled the British teen with relief all the same. In all truth, he had wanted to ask Shoichi the same thing, but he had been too afraid to impose on him because of what Byakuran had done earlier. He wanted to hold Shoichi close to him tonight, because every night for the last month had been beyond lonely for him. Spanner just wanted to feel Shoichi against him and know that the other wasn't going to run away any more. He was just sick of feeling alone…

"Shoichi…I…I would love to…" Spanner admitted with hope and slight embarrassment as a small blush dusted his cheeks. "I actually wanted to ask you the same…but…you know…Anyway…I'm really thankful that you trust me enough again to want to do this."

Actually, Spanner felt so honored by Shoichi's trust in him that he couldn't help but cup the other's cheeks with his hands and bring him into a sweet, delicate kiss. The blonde teen couldn't remember the last time he had ever felt so happy.

When Spanner slowly parted from the other, he stared into Shoichi's eyes with love and hope.

"This…This last month has been hard on both of us," Spanner slowly admitted then as he caressed Shoichi's cheeks with his thumbs. "But…where you had Byakuran…I didn't have anyone…not to hold anyway…"

Spanner swallowed thickly then as he brought himself to admit something he never thought he would to Shoichi. He knew he was making himself even more vulnerable to the other, but if Shoichi could suppress his pride and beg him to sleep next to him, Spanner could at least admit his weakness too.

"What I'm trying to say is…that…I don't want to let you go again, Shoichi. I _**never**_ want to feel alone again. I know now that a life without you…it doesn't feel like much of one at all…"

* * *

Shoichi nodded slightly. "Yes, I trust you," he said softly when his face was cupped gently and he was kissed again in the sweetest fashion. He smiled at Spanner, loving the way this felt. He felt appreciated and cherished and not like some sort of possession.

"It was," he started to answer back, only to stop himself when Spanner said more. Shoichi felt his heart clench at the words. He had never thought of that. During those times, he thought he had been the only one hurt.

After hearing those next words, Shoichi was the one to swallow thickly. He had never even dreamed of hearing something like this from the one he had loved for so long. He understood now that he had hurt Spanner the most by just leaving him alone, and this thought made him feel very bad.

"Oh, Spanner...I'm so sorry...I never meant to hurt you this way," he said, the pain at what he had done evident in his voice. "I left...I always left, because I couldn't bear to know you didn't want me, because I knew you had someone else. It was wrong, but I didn't know at the time. It just hurt so badly," he tried to explain his behavior. "I never...I never want to leave you again! I don't want you to feel alone, and I don't want to bear the pain of being without you. I never wanted to cause you pain, Spanner, never..." Shoichi stroked the back of Spanner's neck again as he tried to convey his feelings, looking into the other's eyes. "All I truly want is to make you happy, because I love you."

* * *

Spanner almost regretted what he had said. In truth, there had only been one reason as to why he brought his feelings up, and that was to show Shoichi how much he was devoted to him. He hadn't thought about the other meanings behind his words, and, because of that, Shoichi was now hurting because of what he said. As he heard his beloved apologize wholeheartedly and explain his reasons, Spanner couldn't help but feel a sense of happiness, though. He had wanted to hear a deep, meaningful apology from the other for a long time now.

Wrapping one of his arms around Shoichi's back, and bringing his other hand to the back of Shoichi's head, Spanner brought his love into a gentle hug; his hand directing Shoichi's head to rest against his neck and shoulder. Burying his face into Shoichi's beautiful, auburn hair, Spanner just took in the other's scent and reveled in their closeness before he spoke again.

"I'm sorry my words have hurt you in turn," the young mechanic whispered into Shoichi's ear. "I was only trying to tell you how deep my feelings are for you, and how devoted I truly am now. I thank you for your apology all the same, though."

With slight hesitance, Spanner pushed himself a little away from the other, so he could look into his best friend's eyes.

"Now it's my turn to apologize. I never expected my actions to hurt you so much as well," the British teen mentioned sadly. "It seemed that the both of us had never wanted to hurt each other, but we ended up doing so anyway. I guess it goes to show in the end just how strong our feelings are for each other."

With a soft smile and love shining in his baby-blue eyes, Spanner brought his hand back from the other's head and lifted Shoichi's chin to make the other look more directly at him.

"I think a promise is in order. Right, love? If you truly want to make me happy, then can you promise me this? Can you promise me that you'll never run away?" Spanner asked hopefully, his eyes beseeching. "I don't think I can handle seeing you leave the apartment in such a way again."

Before he could give Shoichi a chance to answer though, Spanner took a deep breath and then asked, "Also, I want to know what I can promise you to make you happy as well. So please, Shoichi, tell me…what are your answers?"

* * *

When Spanner pulled him into a close embrace, the red-head knew he had been able to make his love understand his feelings. He sighed deeply as his nose rubbed softly against the warm skin of the neck which he was pulled against.

"Hm-hm, I understand," Shoichi whispered back. It was necessary that they made each other understand their feelings, so that they would not make the same mistakes again.

He sighed sadly when they parted. Before he looked at Spanner fully again, he straightened his glasses. Shoichi nodded in agreement when his love came to the conclusion that their feelings ran deeper than they both had realized. It was sad in a way, and he dropped his head.

Spanner made him look up again, though. His baby-blue eyes were holding his mesmerized and he felt a wave of warmth when the other one called him his "love".

He wanted to answer to the promise right away then, only Spanner stopped him. Before he could make a promise himself, he had to ask one in return. Big green eyes looked at his love then. What was he to ask of Spanner? In his heart of hearts, he knew what he wanted, but he felt it was going against the other's very nature in a way. He bit his lip. Spanner was looking at him expectantly.

"Uhm...I...I know it's not easy for you," he started out hesitantly; he did not want to ask too much, "and...and I know you won't be able to right away...but...I'd like you to talk more to me...to tell me what's going on with you, you know? I want to understand you even better. That would make me happy."

Shoichi knew more about Spanner than anyone else (except his grandpa, of course), and he talked to him more than to any other, but still, the other had forgotten to tell him about Mimi, and he had never known how badly Spanner reacted to feeling lonely.

"If you could try to work on that, I will gladly promise you that I won't run away like I did, anymore." Now that they knew each other's feelings, he just couldn't believe Spanner would hurt him like he did before (however inadvertently), so he would have no reason to flee from the pain.

* * *

Spanner could feel uncertainty cloud his mind when he heard Shoichi's proposition. His best friend was right, even though he was being open and honest now, it generally wasn't easy for the young mechanic to openly talk about what he felt in a situation.

"I…I will try my best to keep that promise, Shoichi," Spanner started out hesitantly, because he didn't want to make a promise he couldn't keep. "But I might need some help with this one in order to keep it. You know how focused I get on things. If my mind is on one thing, it's hard for me to take in anything else or remember it. So…if, from time to time, I forget to share my thoughts with you, just remind me, okay? I don't want to break a promise due to a character flaw of mine that's hard to correct…"

Letting out a small sigh, Spanner showed his new love a small smile. Even if his promise was going to be sort of challenging to keep, it tied in with Shoichi's promise to him. Just knowing that the other promised not to run away anymore because of a slight misunderstanding, made the young mechanic happier than anything else.

"I truly do promise to try my best in changing that part of me," Spanner vowed as he placed a soft kiss against Shoichi's forehead. "Now, since it's obvious that we're both tired, how about you get ready for bed and I'll meet up with you? I still need to change out of my wet clothes, after all."

With a soft smile, Spanner, almost unwillingly, let go of Shoichi and headed off to his room to change into his pajamas.

* * *

The answer the red-head got was an honest one. He himself had been hesitant to ask for it, because he knew only too well it wouldn't be too easy a promise to keep. For Spanner, the promise to try was the best and most honest answer he could give.

He smiled at his love. "I will try to help you and ask you more often. I know you get lost in your projects, just like me, but I love that about you."

He sighed softly when his forehead was kissed. "I'd like that very much," he answered with another smile.

When Spanner was gone, Shoichi approached Mini Mosca. He knelt down before the little robot to be eye to eye with him. "I wanted to thank you, Mini. You really saved me. You're my little hero, you know?"

Soft beeps were his answer as the tiny robot made himself as big as he could by throwing out his chest as he was called a hero. "No one hurts my Mommy," flashed on his small display.

Shoichi smiled and got up again. "Thank you," he repeated, bending over and placing a soft kiss onto the cool metal dome just above the visual sensors. "Don't work too hard; we'll help you tomorrow."

Now, he headed to his room. Taking out some flannel pajama pants and a random band shirt from his closet when he got there, he changed and yawned deeply afterwards. With his tension and stress finally leaving, all he felt was a deep tiredness.

With less to no enthusiasm, he headed to the bathroom, taking care of the barest necessities. Just when he was about to go back to his room, Spanner came. Shoichi smiled at him in a shy way.

"Are you ready?" With a bright blush, his hand reached out for his love.

* * *

When Spanner arrived at his room, he quickly changed out of his wet clothes and into a pair of green pajama pants with a matching buttoned up shirt. As he did this, he stared at the stocking cap he usually wore besides, but almost immediately dismissed on putting it on. He would probably look completely ridiculous, given the situation. Spanner usually loved wearing a stocking cap, because his head tended to get cold when he slept, but…he didn't want to look weird or childish when he was sleeping next to Shoichi. That just wouldn't do!

Deciding to go cap-less in the end, Spanner laid out his wet clothes as best as he could to dry before he exited his bedroom. Just as he did this, he noticed Shoichi exit the bathroom and stop before his bedroom across the hall. The blonde teen blushed profusely upon hearing Shoichi's shy words as he offered a hand out to him. The way Shoichi had spoken, he had almost made it sound like they were going to do something more besides sleep! Spanner tried his best not to think of such things, but it was hard when he was blushing so bad that his ears were even turning red, and that Mini Mosca was giving him two thumbs-up from out of the corner of his eye! The young mechanic hoped that the little robot was only giving his blessing and not referring to anything dirty…

"Mm-hm…" Spanner finally uttered with an embarrassed nod, unable to find his voice given the situation. As he approached the other, he kept his eyes averted out of shyness as he grabbed hold of Shoichi's hand.

Once they both entered Shoichi's room, Spanner could see many posters of various bands plastered all over his wall, along with other computer and music equipment. Spanner always appreciated Shoichi's sense of style compared to his own. The young mechanic's room was generally plain, but always messy and filled with an assortment of gadgets. Shoichi's, though, was vibrant and lively, and a little cleaner than Spanner's, because Shoichi had his own sense of organization; even if it was a tad bit messy in its own right.

Spanner was always attracted to Shoichi's room, but when his eyes fell upon the bed, he could feel his heart seize with nervousness. He had never slept next to another person before, so this would be quite a new experience.

As the British teen watched Shoichi prepare the twin size bed for two, Spanner couldn't help but think about how close the two of them would have to lay next to each other. If just holding the other felt amazing, what would sleeping next to him feel like, especially if Spanner was thinking about cuddling with Shoichi? Just the thought made Spanner blush even heavier. Sleeping next to Shoichi sounded so warm and inviting that his body didn't seem to know how to react. Should he be nervous, or excited?

* * *

Shoichi's hand almost faltered when Spanner wouldn't take it for over a second. Had he done something wrong? But, finally, the other took it and it just felt so good. He saw the blush the other wore. Maybe they were just both a bit shy and embarrassed about the situation. Since he had only eyes for Spanner at the moment, he never saw Mini's thumbs up.

He led Spanner to his bedroom then. Looking at the bed, he knew it would get pretty cramped, but that also meant they had to lie close, which was a thought he actually welcomed. Shoichi busied himself with preparing the bed.

He had to wonder about himself. After what had almost happened today, shouldn't he be more fearful? The answer he always came back to was that he was with Spanner. He knew him for about 6 years, and he trusted him unconditionally. With this thought on his mind, Shoichi looked at Spanner. Again, a shy smile graced his lips.

"Which side would you like?"

* * *

Hearing the other's question, Spanner practically jumped in surprise when Shoichi's eyes met his.

"Um…it doesn't matter," the British teen finally muttered after some thought. "I usually just sleep in the center of the bed anyway, so I have no preference. If it will make things easier, though, I'll take the left."

After saying this, Spanner climbed into the side he designated and got under the covers. When Shoichi joined him on the right side, the young mechanic could feel the warmth of the other beside him.

Feeling his new love's proximity, Spanner could feel his nerves wash away at the relaxing heat that surrounded him. Wrapping his arms around Shoichi, he brought the young programmer as close to him as possible, sighing happily at how easy and right it felt.

As Shoichi rested below his chin, Spanner buried his face into the other's auburn locks and delicately kissed the top of the programmer's head.

"Goodnight, Shoichi," he whispered in contentment as he closed his eyes, waiting for sleep to claim him.

* * *

Somehow his question startled Spanner and Shoichi twitched in turn. He seemed to be doing something wrong, but he had no idea what.

Still, Spanner settled into bed then, and he joined a second later after taking off his glasses and putting them securely in the middle of his nightstand. As soon as he was under the covers, the other one wrapped his arms around him and pulled him close. Shoichi couldn't help but sigh audibly. His own arm closed around his love with a smile.

A soft kiss was planted on his forehead then, and Spanner told him good night. This made Shoichi blink. He wasn't too sure what he had expected, but this wasn't it. Maybe he really had done something wrong.

Lifting his head, he looked up, and even with his nearsightedness, he could well discern that Spanner's eyes were closed. Was he so tired that he wanted to sleep immediately? Shoichi couldn't help but think about their kiss and be drawn to those lips. Just one...

He stretched himself, sliding a bit higher. Just before he could find the courage to peck Spanner on the mouth, the other opened his eyes. For a moment, he stopped in his tracks, staring wide-eyed like he was caught doing something bad.

But it wasn't really bad, was it? And Spanner didn't stop him either. Slowly, giving the other one a chance to stop him, he closed the remaining distance. Very softly, he touched his lips to Spanner's. A wonderful warmth flooded him at this lightest of touches. He sighed against Spanner's lips and relaxed against the other's body. It had never felt so good, or right, with Byakuran.

* * *

Immediately after he shut his eyes, he could feel Shoichi's movements. Did the other not want to sleep right away? When he felt that a good portion of his love's upper body was moving upwards, he opened his eyes to see Shoichi's face dangerously close to his. The programmer's eyes widened in surprise, a hint of worry flashing across his green irises as Spanner watched the other stare at him.

What was Shoichi trying to do? Did he…perhaps…

With the other's face so close, Spanner was quick to deduce what his new love wanted.

"_I guess a peck on the head isn't enough_," the young mechanic chuckled inwardly to himself as he waited patiently for Shoichi to make his move.

And, sure enough, it was only a moment later that Shoichi's soft lips pressed against his own. Spanner sighed softly at the wonderful feeling, pressing his lips slightly back. In truth, he was dead tired, and his body had to be on its last fumes of gas, but if Shoichi wanted a good night kiss, the British teen was going to muster up all of his energy to give his love what he wanted.

Opening his mouth slightly, Spanner nibbled on Shoichi's bottom lip, eventually taking the flesh into his mouth and sucking on it gently. After he repeated this process for a little while, the taller teen took advantage of his love's slight gasps to slither his tongue into the other's warm cavern; immediately seeking out Shoichi's tongue with his own.

* * *

Only when a soft sigh answered his own, was the red-head truly satisfied. He hadn't done wrong. Spanner returned his kiss, and it felt just wonderful.

A shiver ran along his spine when his love nibbled at his lip and softly sucked on it. This had never been done to him and he was surprised how sexy it felt. Soft gasps and whimpers escaped him until his mouth was effectively covered by Spanner's and his tongue occupied.

A slow dance started that caused butterflies to start up in his stomach again. But just as it began to feel really, really good, and Shoichi's whole body asked for more, the sensually moving tongue stopped, the pressure of the lips slackened, and the arms that held him lost their tight grip.

What just happened...?

Shoichi lifted his head a bit to look at Spanner, who had actually fallen asleep right in the middle of making out. The first reaction was a pretty incredulous look and an annoyed huff, but when the red-head thought back on the day, how could he blame his love? Maybe it should have been more of a surprise that he had any frisky feelings left in his body!

A warm smile graced his lips then, and he sighed softly. Slipping back into his original position, he snuggled as close to Spanner as possible. One arm and a leg he wrapped around the other one, with his head resting against the blonde's chest. In the warm safety that Spanner projected for him, Shoichi soon followed him into the land of dreams.

* * *

The next time Spanner opened his eyes, it was late into the next morning, judging by the clock he could see on Shoichi's nightstand. The young mechanic yawned, feeling how sore his muscles were from the day's previous events. Ugh, he didn't want to get out of bed.

Just as he thought about moving, he felt the warmth of another body wrapped around him. Glancing down, he could see Shoichi sleeping soundly against his chest; light snores escaping his mouth. The red-head looked so cute, Spanner didn't dare to move. Instead, he opted to stay in bed as long as possible and just watch his beloved sleep blissfully next to him.

But, as he watched the other, the British teen couldn't stop himself from wanting to touch Shoichi to make sure he wasn't dreaming. Last night just felt surreal to him. Giving into his desire, Spanner brought up one of his hands that had been wrapped around Shoichi's body to the programmer's hair, the mechanic's fingers gently stroking the wavy, auburn strands with affection.

It was here that the blonde teen remembered the previous night, though. His cheeks reddened in embarrassment as he remembered kissing Shoichi, but then nothing after it. Had he actually fallen asleep while he was kissing Shoichi, or was he so tired last night that he just forgot what happened?!

* * *

"Hmmmmm," the programmer rubbed his head against Spanner's chest as he was stroked tenderly. A smile formed on his face. A weird mixture of sweet cherries and grease filled his nostrils, making him inhale deeply. Slowly, he came to then, and blinked the sleep from his eyes.

Lifting his head, he looked at Spanner. "Good Morning," he smiled at his love and stretched a bit. Leaning back, he took his glasses from the nightstand and put them on. Now that he was better able to see Spanner's face, he turned back to him.

"How did you sleep? Do you feel better?" He asked.

With all that had happened to him, Shoichi hadn't fully realized how bad Spanner had looked when he came to rescue him. Only after the other had fallen asleep on him, had he put two and two together and understood that his love had been crying, just like himself. Between that, punching out Byakuran and carrying him all the way home, not to mention the little cooking disaster, it really was no wonder Spanner had been physically and mentally exhausted.

At those thoughts, Shoichi looked at his love with slight concern.

* * *

As Spanner contemplated about what had transpired before he fell asleep, he noticed Shoichi stir right next to him. Hearing his love greet him tiredly, Spanner let out his own, soft, "Good morning," as he watched Shoichi stretch. He could feel the other's body slide up against his at the action, causing the mechanic to lose his train of thought at the slight friction. It was because of this that the British teen hadn't noticed Shoichi reach for his glasses until the shorter teen was staring into his eyes in concern.

"Um…" Spanner started uncertainly as he tried to get his bearings back (Shoichi's eyes were so pretty, and his body felt so nice pressed against his). "…Yeah…sort of. My muscles are still a bit sore, though."

Rubbing the back of his head in slight embarrassment, Spanner suddenly remembered the promise he made to Shoichi last night. He decided then that voicing his worries was probably for the best.

"Um, Shoichi?" The blonde teen questioned hesitantly. "What happened last night before I fell asleep? I remember kissing you, and then nothing after…"

* * *

"Oh... hm... that's... that would be my fault," Shoichi murmured, feeling bad that Spanner hurt because of him. He should have been more adamant about the other putting him down. Only, at the time, he had still been pretty much in shock, and had just loved being held and feeling safe and secure.

Before he could say anymore on the matter, though, specifically suggesting a hot shower, Spanner got a bit nervous and questioned him on last night.

"We lay down..." He started off, puzzled on what exactly the other wanted to hear, only to understand a second later.

He smiled at his love and sighed. "Yes, we kissed, and just when it felt really nice, you fell asleep." Shoichi winked. "That was all that happened, although...although I wish I could say otherwise." The last words were spoken softly as his cheeks flushed with a slight blush.

Looking at Spanner, the red-head felt the urge to pick up where they had left off yesterday, but his courage deflated at the thought of how the other one had fallen asleep last night. On a rational level, he knew it was probably just pure physical exhaustion, but on an emotional, he feared his kissing skills were just too plain and boring for his love to bother to stay awake.

* * *

Shoichi seemed puzzled by his question before he seemed to get it. And with that, Spanner's worst fears were confirmed. Embarrassed beyond belief, the young mechanic averted his eyes away from his love. When he heard Shoichi say how much he wished that 'something' else could have happened, though, Spanner's eyes widened as he gawked at the other, his face practically drowning in the amount of blood that flooded his cheeks then.

What did that mean exactly? Did Shoichi mean…did he want more? More of him? Spanner almost couldn't believe that. He looked like utter shit yesterday after the whole sprinkler incident, and he was certain with the addition of bed-head, he looked even worse now (even though that wasn't saying much, since his hair was a complete mess yesterday anyway).

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, the young mechanic gathered his nerves to speak.

"I-I'm sorry that I reacted that way. I…just wasn't sure what you meant by that. And I'm not used to hearing such things from you either…" Spanner started slowly, his cheeks still flushed with embarrassment before a look of shame crossed his face. "I'm also sorry for dozing off on you. I must have been more exhausted than I thought."

Gathering his courage again, Spanner glanced towards Shoichi, only to see a peculiar look in his emerald eyes. It was like Shoichi wanted something, but was unsure of himself. Spanner couldn't stand that look. He just wanted to wipe the other's insecurities away. But how could he when he had his own insecurities as well? Maybe…Maybe they both just wanted the same things, and also felt the same insecurities? That wouldn't be too farfetched, since Spanner had noticed how in tune they had been to each other's wants; how they had both wanted the same things from each other.

If that was the case, maybe Shoichi just wanted to kiss him then, just like how Spanner wanted to kiss the other? After all, he had to make up for that lackluster kiss last night, right?

Bringing a hand to cradle Shoichi's cheek, Spanner forgot about his embarrassment and leaned forward. He didn't care anymore about how he probably looked like crap and was undesirable, he just wanted to touch Shoichi…to feel him…

"I guess I should apologize to you, love," Spanner whispered out huskily, his mouth just an inch away from Shoichi's awaiting lips. "How about I make it up to you by finishing where we left off?"

Spanner waited for his beloved's answer then, his breath mingling heavily with Shoichi's. Would Shoichi want this too? Had he heard correctly?

* * *

Spanner's eyes widened at his statement. That incredulous look made Shoichi's stomach plummet. He had done something very wrong. He just shouldn't have said anything. His soft flush turned crimson, and he wanted to avert his eyes, only Spanner spoke up then.

"D-Don't worry...I understand...I shouldn't have...in the first place," Shoichi mumbled fast. Maybe he had had the wrong ideas. Maybe it was expected of him to be passive? At least Byakuran seemed to like him that way...

Silence stretched between them as they looked at each other. Shoichi didn't really see the bed head, he saw the face he loved with eyes like the heavens on a warm summer's day. He felt the urge to be as close as possible to Spanner, to kiss him like they had yesterday, but he held all of that in, like he always had before.

When Spanner touched him, though, he trembled. The other's voice sent shivers down his spine and an expecting tension grew in his body. He could almost taste Spanner's breath then; they were so close. He wanted to close the distance between them so badly! But he shouldn't. Right? Eyes swimming with uncertainty, he whispered softly, "I...I'd like that..."

It was okay to at least say what he wanted, right? Shoichi felt very confused and insecure then.

* * *

He could see the insecurity flash in Shoichi's eyes, and couldn't help but feel even more connected to the man he loved. Spanner was definitely insecure about himself, too; feeling like he was inadequate to live up to Shochi's expectations. But, it seemed that Shoichi wanted him either way; agreeing to his earlier statement.

"I'm glad," Spanner uttered sweetly in his low voice as he closed the distance between him and his love, and planted his lips gently against the other's for a second before he drew away. "I wanted to so badly…"

And with that, Spanner brought Shoichi into a passionate kiss, his tongue easily slipping into his love's mouth to tangle with the other's sweet tongue. The young mechanic hummed in pleasure, feeling Shoichi reciprocate. Spanner drew himself as close to Shoichi as possible then, one of his hands massaging small circles into the programmer's back, while the one on Shoichi's cheek moved further to hold the back of the other's head for better leverage.

* * *

At least his words had the right impact, Shoichi thought, when he was kissed very tenderly. A simple touch of their lips had his body humming with anticipation. All too soon it was over, though, but Spanner whispered to him in that hot voice.

"S-Spanner..." Shoichi looked at his love wide-eyed, but any more words were drowned out as his lips were sealed once again. This time, his love wanted more. With a soft sigh, he let the other's tongue slip in. He felt the usual butterfly sensation in his stomach as their tongues brushed and danced, and couldn't help but moan into their kiss as he was drawn closer into Spanner's body.

As his back was caressed, Shoichi arched into him. With his head held by the other, he opened himself even more. As Spanner used his chance to explore his wet cavern more thoroughly then, the red-head trembled slightly and whimpered softly. His hand grabbed his love's shoulder, holding tight, because even though he was lying securely in bed, he felt like he was floating and feared drifting away. He didn't want this to end. Not any time soon. Not ever.

* * *

Feeling Shoichi grab onto his shoulder and whimper at his ministrations, Spanner felt his confidence increase as he thoroughly explored the red-head's mouth. Nothing went untouched in Spanner's mad quest to taste every part of Shoichi's sweet cavern. The young mechanic couldn't get enough of the amazing taste, and his mind always wondered on if the programmer's body also tasted as good.

His mind overheating at the thought and the images that bombarded him, Spanner tried to ignore his past thoughts and disentangled his tongue from Shoichi's, breaking away for much needed air. As Spanner panted heavily, he stared deeply into Shoichi's eyes, the British teen wanting nothing more than to continue their previous action until both of them passed out from oxygen deprivation. But, knowing that wasn't the best idea, Spanner just held Shoichi close to him and nuzzled the programmer's cheek with his nose out of affection. Suddenly, though, the young mechanic wondered if his past actions had been too forward. Shoichi said he had wanted to kiss him, but did Spanner give the other more than what he wanted? Had he gotten out of hand?

"Did…Did that feel good?" Spanner questioned in curiosity as he placed his forehead against Shoichi's. "I wasn't too forward was I? I didn't make you feel uncomfortable, right?"

Spanner felt guilty then as those words left his mouth. He had started doing things to Shoichi without giving the other a say. Wasn't that a pretty serious offense on his part, especially since Shoichi practically got taken advantage of the day before?

"I'm sorry if I scared you or anything, Shoichi," the blonde teen muttered in worry as he stared deeply into his love's eyes. "Just…don't be afraid to speak up if I'm going too fast, or if you're uncomfortable with anything, okay? Maybe you can touch me too and show me what you're comfortable with?"

Spanner blushed heavily at his last suggestion, hoping that Shoichi wouldn't take it the wrong way. He was only trying to help the other as best as he could (even though he had to admit he was pretty interested to see what Shoichi would do under the circumstances).

* * *

Shoichi felt dazed when Spanner finally ended the kiss. Panting, he sucked air back into his lungs, but his head still felt a bit mushy, as it wasn't just the lack of oxygen that had done it to him. Spanner's baby-blue eyes were so close, and looked at him like they were staring straight into his heart.

He was held tight and nuzzled sweetly by the other, and it just felt so good. Shoichi released his hold on Spanner's shoulder to tentatively stroke the other's neck. Was that okay?

"Hm-hmm, yes...very," Shoichi answered with a soft blush rising to his cheeks. Spanner touched his forehead to his then, getting them even closer together. With his glasses unable to help his eyes at this short distance, but still being between them, his eyes got confused, and he had a slight feeling of vertigo. He closed his eyes. "N-no...you weren't. It...It feels good...very much so," he whispered, blushing a bit more.

Moving his head a bit, Shoichi opened his eyes again to look over the rim of his glasses. Again, Spanner peered into his eyes, like he wanted to read his very soul. Shoichi worried his lower lip at the next words. This time, he looked at his love inquiringly, trying to read him.

After a moment more of contemplation, Shoichi softly asked, "Is it really okay if I touch you? If...If I want to kiss _**you**_? Don't...Don't you like me more when I just let you do it?" His face grew crimson at his next words, and his eyes shone with insecurity. "I want you to like me...to love me...I like what you do to me...how that makes me feel...but I want you to feel good, too...so, tell me how you want me to be."

Shoichi's hand had stopped stroking. He trembled slightly, looking at Spanner with his big green eyes as he waited for the answer. He wanted to be everything Spanner could wish for.

* * *

The young mechanic's brows furrowed in concern when he heard Shoichi's answer to his final question. Even though he felt happy and extreme relief that he hadn't hurt his beloved in anyway, and that Shoichi actually liked the kiss, the way Shoichi was acting now worried Spanner. He could feel the insecurity of his love wash over him in waves, and it seriously sounded like Shoichi was willing to change everything about himself just to please him…

"I might not like other's touching me, but I find that…you're very different from everyone else Shoichi," Spanner spoke up after a moment of contemplation, wanting nothing more than his love to start stroking his neck again. "I…I want you to touch me back…I _**crave**_ it… It's like I can never have enough of you…"

Spanner's cheeks flushed a dark crimson then as he spilled his heart's inner contents. Speaking his mind was hard, but he was finding it was becoming easier when Shoichi started speaking his mind as well.

Trying to push away his embarrassment, the British teen cradled Shoichi's cheeks in his hands and stared deeply into the other's eyes, making sure Shoichi understood what he was going to say to him next.

"I love you for who you are, Shoichi," Spanner spoke truthfully, his tone dead serious in its delivery. "I would never want to drastically change anything about you to fit my purposes, nor would I try to force you to do something that made you uncomfortable. If you want to touch me, then touch me. If you want to kiss me, then kiss me. I don't mind either way, Shoichi, because I don't want you to be afraid I'd hate you for trying to love me in your own special way. So please, there's no need to hesitate…just…love me…that's all I ask…"

The taller teen's eyes shook with worry then as he awaited Shoichi's response. Would his love like what he had said? Would the other try to touch him more often now?

* * *

The red-head was surprised at the answer he got. Spanner actually liked it when he touched him? He even craved getting touched by him? He felt heat flare up somewhere below his stomach at this thought.

Both hands cupped his cheeks then, and Spanner spoke to him very seriously. Shoichi swallowed around the lump in his throat at the words the other one was saying. They were more than he could ever have hoped for. After the way Byakuran just took what he wanted, and the way it had started out with Spanner, he was just insecure how to behave.

With his heart beating a bit faster, and his eyes shining with growing hope and excitement, Shoichi softly asked, "So, it's okay if I do this?" He softly stroked Spanner's neck again. "You don't want me to be just passive? I...I can try...things?"

Gathering his courage, he was the one to close the distance between them this time as he, once more, kissed Spanner softly. Parting his lips, he tentatively licked the soft skin. It felt incredible, and very exciting, to start something himself for once.

When Spanner's lips parted to let him in, Shoichi sated his curiosity. He moaned at the sweet taste of cherries that hit him, and the slight bitterness that accompanied it, which was more of an aftertaste. His tongue explored for a moment more before he ended the kiss, licking his lips and looking at Spanner again. A bit of his insecurity was assuaged, since his love had opened up so willingly for him.

"You taste of cherries...I like that," he whispered with a soft smile.

* * *

When Shoichi questioned him tentatively back, and started stroking his neck again, Spanner let out a low hum of contentment.

"I don't mind it at all," Spanner practically purred at the warm touch as he answered Shoichi's other questions. "Be however you want to be, Shoichi. I want to experience everything I can with you…"

And, just as he said that, Shoichi brought him into a sweet kiss, the programmer's tongue licking his lips in question. Spanner could feel a shudder roll down his spine at the foreign feeling, but willingly opened his mouth to try something new. Shoichi took the initiative and slithered his tongue into the young mechanic's mouth, roaming and investigating every nook and cranny Spanner had to offer. Spanner moaned long and low as he felt Shoichi's tongue move around in his mouth, enticing his tongue into action.

But, before he could so much as make his tongue dance against Shoichi's, the older one retreated from him and licked his lips. Spanner could immediately feel blood rush to two different areas inside of him at the sight, and as embarrassment flooded him at his love's compliment.

Trying to gather his wits about him again, Spanner moved forward then and licked Shoichi's lips affectionately and suggestively.

"And you taste even more delicious," Spanner whispered huskily as he stared deeply into the emerald orbs he had come to love dearly, "like caramel and honey."

* * *

Shoichi hummed as Spanner licked his lips. He loved the feeling, and he loved the tenderness the other one showed him.

Once more, Spanner's voice sent a shiver down his spine. Shoichi felt mesmerized by his gaze. "I...I do?" He asked breathlessly.

The way his love had reacted to his kiss, and what he had said just now, finally gave Shoichi a confidence boost. With one hand at the small of Spanner's back, he pulled himself into the other again.

"Caramel and honey, you said? Really? Maybe you should try again...just to be sure."

Even though he was blushing, Shoichi had the slightest gleam of mischief in his eyes as he looked at his love. The other hand on Spanner's neck gently nudged him in the right direction. Yes, it felt good to take some action by himself.

* * *

"Mmm, I'm pretty sure…" Spanner purred out in response as Shoichi's questions turned him on to no end. "…but I'll recheck, just to be certain."

After he said this, he followed Shoichi's lead and brought himself forward to claim the programmer's lips once again, his tongue already reclaiming the other's mouth. Spanner poured every ounce of passion he felt into the kiss, sharing all of his love with the other that he could muster. He could feel his muscles shudder and weaken with every second that passed with their kiss, his tongue dipping and dancing feverishly with his love's until they were both completely breathless.

When the two of them separated for air, it took all of Spanner's power not to start kissing other parts of Shoichi's body; to bite into the other's neck possessively. Spanner had never felt such a strong desire consume him before, and he was afraid that he'd take advantage of it; take advantage of Shoichi. The young mechanic wondered if Shoichi felt the same strong desire, though, when he looked into his love's eyes again.

* * *

With a soft sigh, the programmer opened himself only too willingly to Spanner's exploring tongue. Even though the kiss was full of passion, ravishing him thoroughly, he never felt overwhelmed and sort of helpless like he had with Byakuran.

What Shoichi felt was love and desire, and he tried to give those feelings back. His tongue twisted in the same passionate dance around Spanner's as he whimpered and moaned at how good it felt.

When the kiss finally ended, he panted heavily, trying to catch his breath again. All he wanted was to keep on kissing, touching, and feeling Spanner. Shoichi had to swallow as he realized how deep his own desire ran.

The baby-blue eyes looked into his again, and they were so full of emotion that it almost took the red-head's breath away. Shoichi bit his lower lip. Just yesterday the two of them had confessed their feelings to each other. Their kisses had grown more heatedly with each time they did it, and they were lying together in a bed. The temptation to take things further was great, but Shoichi feared it would be a mistake; it was just too soon.

"S-Spanner...I...I think we should get up," he managed to say with some difficulty. "You should take a hot shower to help with your sore muscles and I...I'll make some breakfast. O-Okay?"

Shoichi wasn't too happy with himself at this moment, but he really felt they shouldn't keep going in this direction any further at the moment, as wonderful as it felt. They needed more time to come to terms with their own feelings.

"Please, don't get me wrong...I could go on way, way longer, but I don't think we should," he declared softly, not wanting Spanner to think he didn't like what had happened.

* * *

When Shoichi suggested that they stop, Spanner was a little disappointed, but fully agreed with his love. If they continued, the young mechanic wasn't sure what would happen, and he didn't want to end up doing something he would regret.

"I could go on too, but I agree, Shoichi, it's best that we get up," Spanner stated with a soft sigh before he smiled serenely at the other. "Mmm, I haven't had your food in a while. I look forward to it, love."

Placing a gentle kiss against Shoichi's reddened lips, Spanner dragged himself out of bed and to his room to grab a change of clothes. Shoichi was right when he suggested Spanner take a very long, warm shower; his muscles were going to need it.


	6. Chapter 6

Hi there!

I understand that some of you out there actually thought this story was already at its end o_O. For once, we would have told you that it's the final chapter. Also with the little bit of kissing at the end, why on earth would we have marked this as M-rated? o_O Nah, after this it's still three chapters to go for a total of nine chapters. Really, we wouldn't go through so much pain and trouble with those two and not see them finally be one! ^_^ Also, don't you want to know how Mini Mosca does on the day of the competition? If you want to find out, keep on reading and please, please, please keep on reviewing or we'll keep the end to ourselves ;D

So of course, once more thanks to our reviewers, especially 59 our loyal supporter, and anyone who faved and follows us still. Yes, girls, the real lemon is yet to come!

In this chapter Spanner starts to work on his issues and Shoichi does his best to help him out. So, for anyone who thought we might let you off with just some kissing, you'll get a nice limey surprise ;D

**Warnings for this chapter: **Yaoi (man on man!)

* * *

**Chapter 6**

When the British teen finally entered the shower, the warm water did wonders for him. Spanner just stood in the spray as the water ran down his body, loosening up his aching muscles. As the younger teen finally got around to washing his disheveled hair, he couldn't help but contemplate on how his relationship with Shoichi had progressed. He knew he wasn't ready for a completely intimate relationship yet, and by how Shoichi reacted a little earlier, he wasn't ready to become more physical either. But still, that type of relationship was inevitable in the long run. Spanner was attracted to Shoichi in that way, and he had been so easily turned on by the other while they were kissing. So somewhere down the road, when the both of them were ready, they would obviously share themselves with each other completely.

As these thoughts ran around inside his head, Spanner's aching muscles reminded him of another factor he should be taking into consideration. If he and Shoichi were going to become more physical, having good stamina was the key to providing the other with pleasure. Considering the fact that Shoichi ran and exercised practically every day, he was more than adequately fit for the situation. But Spanner had had troubles just trying to run twenty minutes to Byakuran's apartment, and he had to stop and rest. It had only been once, but his running speed wasn't top notch to begin with. Spanner was even surprised he had gotten to the apartment in time to help Shoichi in any way! Since the young mechanic never worked out except when he was lifting machinery, it was obvious that his stamina wasn't the greatest. When they both finally wanted to be completely with each other, how would Shoichi be able to take pleasure from him if he could hardly last long enough to satisfy the other?

With worry coursing through Spanner's body, the blonde teen got out of the shower, dressed, styled his hair, and left the bathroom. He had an idea that would help with his stamina, but would Shoichi like it?

* * *

Although he could see the disappointment in Spanner's face, Shoichi was glad that the other agreed without him having to explain more on why it was a bad idea to go on no matter how good it felt. He smiled softly at the mechanic as the other said he looked forward to his food, and, once again, called him, "love". It made for a warm, fuzzy feeling in Shoichi's stomach.

Spanner left him with one last, sweet kiss. For a short moment, the red-head stayed in bed, stretched, remembered with a smile on what they had done, and reveled in the good feelings that provided. With a sigh, he got up then, too. He would need to shower as well.

Since there was no sense in changing his clothes now, Shoichi just went straight for the kitchen. After greeting Mini Mosca, who was busying himself with dusting some shelves, he started up the rice maker. After checking on the time, he was a bit aghast to see it was almost noon, but he guessed they both had needed their sleep. At least today was Halloween, and most classes had been canceled anyway as different departments had planned elaborate pranks involving showcases of their fields' prowess. Since the programmers had split up to help the other departments, like robotics, to get their projects running, Shoichi would have his afternoon free to go and enjoy what the others had thought up.

As it was almost noon anyway, Shoichi decided on making it a full meal. He made some light miso soup with tofu and green onions, and tamagoyaki to go with the rice. As there were still some pieces of fish in the freezer, he fried them tempura style for good measure, as he knew Spanner liked the little crusty pieces.

Spanner's timing was absolutely impeccable. He left the bathroom just as Shoichi fished the done pieces from the hot oil. They only really tasted best when they were fresh and hot. "Here you go," he said, handing over a tray with a plate of the fish and slices of tamagoyaki roll, a bowl of rice, and one that held the soup. A moment later, he followed behind with the same assortment.

"How do you feel? Did the shower help loosen your muscles?" He asked when they had sat down on the couch to eat.

* * *

Spanner practically drooled at the mouthwatering aroma that hit him as soon as he left the bathroom. Shoichi's cooking was truly the best, and obviously so much better than his. As soon as the young mechanic entered the little kitchenette, Shoichi handed him a tray of delicious food. Spanner licked his lips in anticipation for the amazing assortment before him, and eagerly made his way to the living room couch.

As soon as the British teen sat down, he immediately noticed that the couch was still damp from yesterday's fiasco. Hoping it would dry eventually, Spanner just ignored it and got ready to eat the amazing breakfast his best friend had made for him.

"I feel a lot better, thank you, Shoichi," Spanner answered with a sweet smile. "My muscles are still a bit sore, but another day's rest should do the trick, I think."

After that, the two of them fell into silence as they started eating breakfast; the only sounds coming from Spanner who hummed in pleasure with every piece of food he plopped into his mouth. While he ate, and thanked Shoichi for the amazing breakfast/lunch (brunch?), Spanner thought over how to approach the subject he had been thinking about in the shower. He was beyond embarrassed to start talking about sex, because, one, he wasn't the most comfortable about talking about it at the moment, and, two, he didn't want to scare Shoichi away and make him think he wanted to dive right into something like that. No, he'd come up with a different way of approaching the subject.

"Um…Shoichi?" Spanner finally questioned after he swallowed another chopstick-full of rice. "I was thinking about what happened yesterday while I was taking my shower. And…I couldn't stop thinking about how I could have gotten to Byakuran's apartment faster. I was so slow…and I had to stop and rest, too. It's more obvious to me now than ever that my stamina is bloody horrendous. If something like that ever happened again, where you were in trouble and I had to run to help you, what use would I actually be?"

The irritated blonde clenched his hands into shaking fists then as he thought over how useless he felt. Surely, if there ever was another situation like he had described, Shoichi would be seriously hurt or even dead before he could get to him! And Spanner knew he would never forgive himself if he lost Shoichi over something he could have prevented by working harder.

Glancing at Shoichi then, Spanner stared fully into his love's emerald gaze, his baby blue eyes beseeching and serious.

"I want to become stronger for you, Shoichi," the young mechanic stated truthfully. "I know you're strong, and that you can take care of yourself in most situations, but since I care about you, it's only natural that I would want to protect you, too. This situation with Byakuran proved to me ten-fold that I'm not really efficient at it. That's why…I was wondering if I could work out beside you in the mornings? Maybe go running or go to a gym of some sort, you know?"

Spanner could feel a blush coming onto his cheeks at realizing how imposing he sounded, so he immediately added, "I mean, if you want to have me that is! I wouldn't doubt that going for runs is your way of settling yourself down, or getting your alone time away from crazy me, but…if you don't mind my company…I would love to train beside you…"

* * *

Only after a few moments of sitting did Shoichi realize how damp the couch really still was. He had totally forgotten about the repercussions of Spanner's little accident. He felt the dampness slowly soak through his pants. Would the couch really thoroughly dry?

These thoughts were pushed to the back of his head when he heard his love hum in approval, and saw him dig in with relish. It was so much more fun to cook for two and enjoy the food together, and have someone there that really appreciated it. He smiled softly.

"That's good to hear. Yeah, it should be okay by tomorrow," he agreed, having a bit of experience with sore muscles himself, especially after picking up the yoga classes.

While they were eating, Shoichi couldn't help but watch his love from time to time. There seemed to be something on his mind. When the other one spoke up, he surprised the red-head.

"I don't think I'll let myself get into a situation like that ever again," Shoichi said softly to reassure Spanner, but was taken aback at the shaking fists and desperation he saw then. "Spanner...what...?" He wanted to ask what was on the other's mind, but then Spanner explained his thoughts.

Shoichi wished he could have told Spanner that he shouldn't think about such things, that nothing bad would ever happen to either of them, but with their affiliation with the Vongola, they both knew it would be a lie. They had been in dangerous situations before, and it would happen again most likely. Hearing what his love wanted, and why, reminded him of his own reasons for starting up with training his body. It also sent a warm feeling through him.

As Spanner blushed and stuttered to give him an opportunity to back out, Shoichi smiled. He leaned over to stop the other's rambling with a tiny kiss. "I would love to have you around for training, too," he said before he leaned back. "I don't want to be away from you anymore. I promised to not run away anymore, didn't I?" He winked. "Actually the running just gets me awake in the mornings. Since my stomachaches were so bad these last few weeks, I needed something else to get away from the stress. I never got around to telling you, I guess. I'm taking yoga classes. It might sound weird, but it really helped me relax during some very bad days. It's also great for flexibility, and works wonders on your back after sitting hours on end at the computer...Anyway, maybe you want to try it, too?" Shoichi looked inquiringly at his love.

* * *

When Shoichi silenced his worries with a small kiss, Spanner could feel warmth spread throughout his body, and butterflies start to flutter in his stomach. And then, when he heard his love's answer, a sense of jubilation filled the British mechanic.

"Yeah…you did promise me…" Spanner whispered out in affection as he bestowed Shoichi with a loving, yet apologetic glance. "I see why you were out of the apartment so much now, and I'm sorry for the pain I was causing you…"

And then, he heard the word 'yoga' and couldn't stop staring at Shoichi in awe. He remembered Mini Mosca telling him about how Shoichi was looking up classes on the internet before, and he assumed the other had been going to those classes, but to know that the other was still sticking with them was amazing to say the least. Yoga required a sense of calm and great flexibility. He had seen Shoichi all calm before (and whenever he was, it usually meant he was angry as hell), so it was just a little hard to imagine Shoichi being calm in a positive way, as well as being so flexible. He knew that because of that, he really had to see this yoga class in action now.

"I remember Mini telling me about the yoga classes; it sounds interesting," Spanner mentioned after he stopped gawking at Shoichi, his eyebrows quirking with intrigue. "Truth be told, it's surprising to think you're doing yoga. I had no idea you were that flexible. I don't think I have much flexibility, and I'm generally calm to begin with, but I want to give it a try and experience it with you. Also, I think going for morning runs will help me wake up a little better, too."

Sending his love a small, excited smile, Spanner laid a soft kiss of gratitude against Shoichi's lips.

"Thank you, Shoichi…" The young mechanic began before he noticed how wet the backside of his pants were getting from the couch. "Um…maybe we should eat on the floor…I think half of my pants are soaked by now."

A little embarrassed by such a drastic change in their conversation, Spanner ambled off the couch to eat his meal on the floor, while Shoichi joined him. Staring at their still soaked couch, Spanner couldn't help but ask, "Do you think it will ever dry, Shoichi? If it doesn't, it's going to take some money to replace it…and the TV, for that matter."

Spanner hung his head in shame then as he remembered the cause for their flooded apartment.

"If only I had been more careful when I was cooking…I even ruined the recipe card I made after you taught me how to make teriyaki shrimp. I guess I'm hopeless when it comes to cooking something more elaborate than cup ramen…"

* * *

Shoichi just smiled and shook his head. "We both did wrong, but it's all behind us now," he said softly. They had hurt each other when neither of them had meant to do anything like it, but that was over now.

When Spanner looked at him wide-eyed, he had to giggle a bit. Pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose, he grinned at his friend's disbelief. "I wasn't, but I'm getting there. I felt like a truck had run me over after the first session, so I can imagine how you're feeling today, but once you get through that initial muscle ache, it gets better pretty fast." He nodded a bit then, sighing softly. "I know you're naturally calmer than me, but to me, it's a big help."

Again, he smiled after the soft kiss. He liked how natural it already seemed to come to both of them. "You're welcome," the red-head smiled.

Only after Spanner mentioned his pants did Shoichi fully realize how damp and cold his backside felt. He followed the other to the floor. "Mine were soaked through just a moment after we sat down." Turning his gaze to the couch for a moment, he sighed and shook his head. "I fear it won't. At least, not before the dampness will cause the fabric to get moldy."

He looked at Spanner then. "It's not only that; you can be sure the landlord will have a nice, steep bill in store for us, too. They had to come in late, and the evening before a holiday to boot, so you can bet he'll double the fee."

His love hung his head and looked miserable. Gently, Shoichi lifted Spanner's chin, and made him look at him again. "You meant well, and I appreciate it. Don't get yourself down. You can still always help me around the kitchen, now, hm? And for the rest...well, we'll just have to win the robotics competition and make some good money off of licensing the blueprints! In fact, we should really try to contact the Ninth about it, like I said before."

Shoichi was sure the mere basic version of Mini Mosca was interesting enough to any company. With the money they should get off licensing it, their monetary trouble right now would be just a joke. He smiled encouragingly at Spanner, hoping to cheer him up again.

* * *

Almost forgetting about the bill, Spanner hung his head even more in his guilt. Just where were they going to get the money to fix everything because of his mistake? When he felt a pressure under his chin, he lifted it up to see that Shoichi was holding it. Hearing his beloved's next words filled the young mechanic with warmth and gratitude. He still couldn't quite forgive himself, but at least Shoichi did, and that was all that mattered to him.

"Hmm, yeah," Spanner finally agreed, a bit of excitement for the upcoming competition stirring in his veins again. "If we win the competition and we present our proposal to the Ninth, we at least know that he would buy the blue prints for sure, due to his memory of my Moscas, and he wouldn't rip us off like other companies would."

Kissing his love in thanks again, Spanner finished up his meal with Shoichi and got ready for the rest of the day. The British teen got his Halloween costumes ready, and practiced his Frankenstein skit with Mini Mosca a few more times with Shoichi giving him constructive criticism to help his performance. When the Halloween event finally rolled around, Spanner and Mini Mosca were confident in their delivery. With the help of Shoichi providing sound and light effects for the machinery in Frankenstein's lab, Spanner and Mini Mosca were a huge hit in the robotics department.

That night, after the event, Spanner spent the rest of his evening sleeping next to Shoichi again, thankful that the other was there to help him that night. After a few shared kisses (a good portion of them quite heated more than anything else), the two boys finally calmed down enough to find sleep. The following morning, they would have their first exercise routine together.

* * *

Shoichi had a lot of fun helping out Spanner and Mini Mosca with their Halloween prank. This time around, he could actually laugh at the antics of both of them, and even congratulated Mini Mosca on a superb performance.

Once more, they spent the night together after that. Shoichi was quickly getting used to the feeling of Spanner's arms wrapped tightly around him; making him feel safe and loved. However, their kisses were a totally different matter. He would never get used to them. No matter how often their lips brushed, touched, crushed, it was always exciting, always different. It would never get old, he was sure, and he would always crave them. It was getting harder, though, to stick to the kissing part. Shoichi felt the growing urge to feel more of Spanner.

It wasn't easy to calm down when their kisses were igniting a deep yearning in the red-head's body, but Spanner had asked to tag along for his morning run, and they had to get up early for that, as their first classes started at eight the next morning. Regretfully, they finally broke off their kisses, but Shoichi still cuddled up as close to Spanner as possible for the night.

The next morning, he was actually surprised that his love got out of bed relatively easily. Usually, Spanner liked to sleep in a little longer. Their morning run started out pretty good, but it became painfully clear after about ten minutes that Spanner's stamina did need some building up. Shoichi went easy on his love, taking an early break in his running for his usual sit-ups and push-ups, to let the other one catch his breath.

"You will need a few days, but you'll soon get used to it, and it will be easier," Shoichi reassured his love as they headed back later. He remembered his first feeble attempts at working out only too well. The first few days were just the worst, but once the sore muscles were gone, you would soon feel the change happening, and feel better about yourself.

* * *

Spanner slept more peacefully than he thought he would, so it really wasn't too hard getting out of bed the following morning with Shoichi. When the young mechanic actually got out into the streets to run, though, was another story. His running speed was mediocre at best compared to Shoichi's, and he couldn't continuously run like his love could. Also, Shoichi was always running ahead of him before he realized he was going too fast, so he'd slow down for Spanner. The British teen hated the fact that Shoichi was bringing himself down in order to help him. He wanted to be on even ground with the other, wanted them to be equals, but it was obvious that Spanner would have to work hard in order to catch up with his fit roommate, so he would not drag him down anymore.

Even though he knew he shouldn't have been angry about that, Spanner didn't only dislike his first morning run because of how he was dragging down Shoichi, or of how tired and sore his muscles were from the excursion, no, it was from whenever Shoichi got lost in his running and would speed up unconsciously. Every time he saw the other pull ahead of him, Spanner hated to admit how harshly it affected him. Whenever Shoichi did that, it was like his memories of the past month replayed themselves for his personal torture, showing Spanner how Shoichi was running away from him again.

The blonde teen despised how easily that image haunted him, and how desperate he became whenever he saw it. He never expected that the scenarios that played out for them this year would mentally traumatize him this bad. It was obvious now that seeing Shoichi run away from him, or seeing him just turn away from him in any manner, was his greatest fear.

Shoichi tried to console him at the end of the run that he'd get better, and Spanner truly hoped he would, too, but he was silent due to exhaustion and the bad mood he was in from realizing just how severe his fear was.

Hoping he didn't look as haunted as he felt, he followed Shoichi back to the apartment to quickly shower and get ready for class. He knew that his muscles and mind were just going to have to shape up, because after classes that day, Shoichi had a yoga class.

* * *

His well-meant words didn't seem to help much, Shoichi realized, when he looked at Spanner. His love seemed pretty down and exhausted. The programmer hoped the other one wouldn't just give up after this first day. Tomorrow would become even worse, though, that much was sure.

Shoichi had tried to slow down enough for his untrained friend today, but had still passed him on a few occasions. He would have to work harder tomorrow to avoid this happening again, and avoid demotivating his beloved mechanic even more until he couldn't muster the determination to pull through anymore.

As they headed to their classes, Shoichi felt himself getting jittery. He had a double period of advanced computer classes ahead of him, and that meant he would meet Byakuran. As he felt his stomach start to churn, he was glad that he knew some relaxing yoga awaited him in the afternoon. The red-head waited until the very last minute to run to the computer room, so Byakuran couldn't catch him for a chat or anything else.

He tried his best to stay calm and focus on the topic, but his mind was always drifting back to what had happened between them. Also, he felt Byakuran watching him, which was quite disconcerting. When he was starting to feel the stress get to him, though, Shoichi thought of Spanner and how he had promised not to run from him. He should learn to take a stand and not run from his problems. He had done it before, in their old future. Only then the fate of the worlds hung in the balance. It was easier to overcome your own inhibitions, if you did it for someone else.

Taking a deep breath and summoning up his courage, Shoichi turned to look at Byakuran. To his utter surprise, his classmate smiled and waved like nothing ever happened. There was no underlying threat, no menacing aura, not even a hint of lecherous desire, just a... happy smile; even though he sported a colorful black-eye from Spanner's blow.

Swallowing audibly, Shoichi turned his gaze back to the teacher and straightened his glasses. Could it be that Byakuran had no ill feelings about yesterday? Was he really okay with losing against Spanner? While his thoughts turned around these questions, class ended, and though he feared otherwise, Byakuran didn't come near him. He left the room, never trying to make contact, and Shoichi was thankful for it. He needed some time to work things out.

The red-head really looked forward to meeting up with Spanner again. It was the last class of the day, and it couldn't end fast enough. Shoichi was surprised at himself with how much he yearned to see and touch the other. When the class was over, he couldn't get to his gym fast enough. Once they were finally alone for a moment in the changing room of his gym, he couldn't hold back anymore. Throwing himself into Spanner's arms, he kissed him hungrily, holding onto him.

"I've missed you so much," he just said, not wanting to tell Spanner about his meeting with Byakuran yet. He didn't want him to worry or get angry. "Let me show you what I've learned," he said softly then.

After a few moments of concentrated breathing, Shoichi found his calm center. Soon he was stretching and bending into shapes that didn't quite seem right to the anatomy of the human body, but came pretty easily to him by now. He smiled proudly at his love when his body was in a perfectly shaped backbend.

* * *

Classes were horrible to say the least.

It took everything in Spanner's power to not touch Shoichi in some way while they were sitting next to each other in their first class. After his near mental breakdown that morning, he just wanted to hold onto Shoichi and never let go. Sadly, though, he had to when the class ended and they parted ways. It wasn't until Spanner was in his robotics classes, and Mimi was glaring at him, that the young mechanic remembered that Shoichi had classes with Byakuran during the same time.

Anger and fear consumed the British teen until he lost all focus on the teacher and what he was teaching. All he could see was Shoichi sitting next to Byakuran and that marshmallow whore of a man trying to touch Shoichi again in some way. He knew that Shoichi would be upset with him if he barged into his class and caused a ruckus, though, so he stayed rigidly in his seat. Besides, there was no proof that Shoichi was actually sitting next to Byakuran at all at the moment. He knew his friend pretty well, so it would be easy to see Shoichi being uncertain and flighty around Byakuran for a little while…until he sorted out his feelings on the matter anyway.

When the last class finally ended with Spanner retaining nothing from the day (he was surprised he was even still passing his classes by this point), the young mechanic headed off to the gym that Shoichi frequented where he had promised he'd meet up with the other.

They met in the changing room, but Spanner didn't know how to react when he saw the other. He felt concerned about what Byakuran had done in his absence, happy that he could see Shoichi again after such a long day, and slightly embarrassed about his behavior that morning. Spanner still had the incredible urge to hold the other to him, but with so many people in the changing room, he didn't dare cause a scene.

As they changed, Spanner could feel Shoichi's eyes on him when he wasn't looking. He couldn't complain because, one, he felt like his body was actually worthwhile to look at for the first time in his life, and two, he was doing the same to Shoichi. As soon as the red-head would avert his eyes, Spanner's were on him, roving over his bare, creamy skin and well-toned muscles, when he would get a chance.

When they were done changing, and the last person left the changing room, Spanner was contemplating on hugging Shoichi to him then, but his beloved programmer beat him to the chase. He felt Shochi throw his arms around him and kiss him with all of his might, and Spanner was only too quick to reciprocate. The world around them was lost for a moment as their tongues tangled passionately in a mating dance, wanting nothing more than to taste everything the other had to offer.

Spanner moaned at Shoichi's tongue exploring his mouth, but all too soon they had to come up for air. It was here that he heard the sweetest words Shoichi had ever said to him.

"I missed you too," Spanner answered back thickly, happy that he could finally hold the other. Before he could figure out if he wanted to ask about what happened with Byakuran, Shoichi pulled the most unexpected thing; he started showing himself off to him.

The aghast blonde could only gape at his love as Shoichi, after a few moments of finding his Zen, started bending and stretching in ways Spanner had no idea the human body could do. It was one of the most beautifully intricate things he had ever seen, and Shoichi was specifically showing him; _**only**_ him.

All Spanner could do was stare at his love's exquisite body, his sinewy muscles being used to the fullest extent as they bended and molded together until his hands and feet were perfectly planted on the floor, and he was leaning backwards on them with his pelvis sticking as far into the air as possible. He could see Shoichi smiling proudly at him, but Spanner couldn't hold his gaze for long. Almost immediately, his whole body felt like it was overheating at the sight of the other, and he had to look away. Spanner felt like his whole body was painted red as he covered his mouth to cover up a moan of desire. He definitely felt stiffer than he had that morning after the run too…especially down in his groin area. Spanner was surprised, yet again, that day. Not only was his trauma stronger than he expected, but so was his attraction to Shoichi! Was this how it was going to be in the yoga class?! Could Spanner really withstand it with such a sight before him all the time?

"U-Um, Sh-Shoichi," Spanner finally stuttered out while he completely averted his eyes away from the other in embarrassment. Had Shoichi spotted how turned on he was at the moment? "I don't think I can handle this class…maybe this isn't a good idea…"

* * *

As Spanner averted his gaze and covered his mouth, all the excitement and pride Shoichi had felt faltered. Was his love disgusted by the sight? He remembered feeling uneasy the first time he saw some of the figures into which advanced learners twisted their bodies, but that was mostly because he had feared he could never be as flexible.

Slowly, he sank to the ground and got up as Spanner told him he wasn't sure he could get through with this. When Shoichi turned around to face his love, he was avoiding his gaze completely. The red-head felt unsure on how to react. He had wanted to share this with him, but he had totally scared Spanner away it seemed.

Carefully, he stepped closer to his love, and only now realized the full blush the other was sporting. Why...? Shoichi bit his lower lip as he took in the visible bulge in Spanner's pants then. He felt his heart pick up speed.

When he had shown off his progress to his love, he had just wanted the other to be proud of him. Or was it more? Shoichi realized how much he craved to be admired and desired by Spanner. The things he had tried to stop Byakuran from doing to him, he wanted the mechanic to do.

He felt his own cheeks flush as he fully realized his own feelings. Trembling slightly, he reached out to touch Spanner's arm.

"D-Do you want us to go home...together?" He swallowed hard. The red-head knew what he wanted to say, but thinking it and saying it out loud were two very different things. With his heart beating like crazy in his chest now, and unsure if Spanner would really welcome his advances, he leaned close to the other's ear. He only had the courage to whisper his suggestion. "I...I would like to...help you out...if...if you want me to."

Biting his lower lip again, Shoichi leaned back as his gaze dropped to Spanner's crotch to make sure the other understood him, even if he couldn't bring himself to state it any clearer. Only then did he look up into his love's eyes, hoping not to find disgust in them.

* * *

When Spanner heard that first sentence uttered, he didn't know what to think. Did Shoichi just want to head home because of his attitude…or…was it an invitation? The embarrassed blonde didn't know what to think, but apparently his mind was in the gutter, because he was favoring the latter.

To the young mechanic's complete surprise, though, he heard Shoichi whisper suggestively, yet nervously, into his ear then. A shudder of pleasure rolled down Spanner's spine at the words. Shoichi actually wanted to…to…

Mixed feelings automatically sprung forth in Spanner's mind, making his stomach turn uneasily. These feelings only became worse when he saw Shoichi back up then and look pointedly down at the tent in his pants. Spanner didn't know if he wanted to die from embarrassment or go through with the desire. There was no doubt in his mind how much he wanted to take Shoichi's offer, but he remembered why he was working out in the first place. In all truth, it wouldn't take much for Shoichi to help him. Spanner wouldn't be surprised if the other just had to touch him there once in order to release. If Shoichi went through with helping him, it would only embarrass Spanner and make Shoichi think he wasn't worth the time, right?

Fear suddenly gripped the young mechanic at the thought. If Shoichi didn't think he was good enough then…he'd run to Byakuran, right? Bloody hell, he felt sick at the thought…

Trying to keep his lunch inside his body, Spanner knew then he'd have to be completely honest with his love, and hope the other didn't think he was pathetic. Taking in a shaking breath, Spanner gathered his nerve and finally looked Shoichi in the eyes.

"I…I would love nothing more than for you to…h-help me…but…" Spanner trailed off as another blush dusted his cheeks. He hoped he didn't regret this. "I…I fear that…it wouldn't take much help…so I…I don't want to be a waste of your t-time, Shoichi…"

Unable to keep his gaze steady, Spanner had to look away from Shoichi again. This embarrassment truly felt like it was beginning to crush him.

"I know how much you like your yoga classes, too, so I don't want to take that away from you because of…something trivial like me…" Spanner choked out as he felt his throat begin to dry up from nerves and fear. "My stamina is bloody horrible, as you've seen, after all…so, maybe you can take your yoga class, and after I…_**fix**_ myself…I can just…run on one of the treadmills in the gym or something while I wait…"

Spanner felt his whole body go red again as he brought himself to fully admit his reasons for working out now. He didn't want Shoichi to think he was turning him down after all. The British teen would never forgive himself if he hurt the man he loved again.

"A-Actually, Shoichi….the reason…the full reason why I want to work out so badly is not only to get stronger so that I can protect you, but…it's also…for building my stamina up for a different reason…I…I wanted to be in top condition so that…if we wanted to both…_**help**_ each other…I'd be able to help you…_**a lot**_…"

And with that, Spanner wanted nothing more than to crawl in the nearest whole and bury himself alive in the embarrassment that overtook him. The young mechanic felt like he was going to suffocate on it pretty damn soon. What would Shoichi think of him now? Did he even understand what he was getting at? Had he made himself out to be pathetic in the other's eyes? Spanner could only wait on bated breath then, hoping Shoichi wouldn't walk away from him.

* * *

The answer the red-head got to his offer was nothing like what he had hoped for, or even feared. He actually didn't even understand the answer he got. Spanner was blushing and seemed to be embarrassed.

"Something trivial...? Waste of time...?" Shoichi mumbled disbelievingly. Surely Spanner didn't really mean what he was understanding? How could he be saying such things?

When his love explained some more, Shoichi understood him a bit better. So, Spanner was thinking about making their relationship more physical, too. That, at least, was good to know. Also a warm feeling flooded the red-head at knowing his love wanted to build up his stamina to make sure he'd be satisfied. But on another level, Shoichi was getting angry. Why was his love being such an idiot about it?

The programmer pushed his glasses up his nose and fixated the other one with flashing green eyes. "Don't ever say that again, Spanner," he demanded. "You can never be a waste of my time, and you are neither somet_**hing**_, nor trivial to me. You are special to me...The most important person; the one I _**love**_."

Shoichi sighed as one hand went for his unruly hair, combing it back with his fingers, even though it was a futile action. It was just a habit. "I understand if you don't feel up to us being so...intimate, yet. This is all so new. I didn't want to pressure you. But if you want this and just decline because you feel inadequate...then...then you are a total idiot!" He shook his head in exasperation. "I love you, and I want to be there for you. I don't want you to worry about such things on your own. Of course I feel flattered by the sentiment, but...but maybe it wouldn't take nearly as much _**help**_ as you think. I don't know about that...We just have to find out...together..."

* * *

Spanner could only stare at his beloved as Shoichi went off on him for belittling himself. It hurt a little bit to be called an idiot, but he couldn't deny that Shoichi was correct in that regard. His fears were getting the better of him to the point he was no longer thinking logically. Shoichi loved him, for the good and the bad qualities, as Spanner did for the red-headed man himself.

With baby blue eyes shining with happiness, love, and a bit of remorse for his actions, Spanner finally looked back at Shoichi again, his shimmering orbs meeting with Shoichi's emerald.

"I'm…sorry, Shoichi…" Spanner started, his voice shaking slightly at all the emotions that were threatening to overtake him then. "You're right…I am being an idiot. My fears…they were just getting the better of me…so, I'm sorry for not having more faith in the love you have for me."

The young mechanic bowed his head again as he thought about his strongest weakness then, his hands balling up into fists at his sides.

"I-I didn't expect my greatest fear to be so strong…" Spanner stuttered out in his irritation towards himself. "…to have such a huge pull on me. Even though you promised, I fear, every day, that you're going to find something about me you can't stand, and that you'll walk away from me because of it. When I started thinking about how intimate we were eventually going to become, I feared that I wouldn't be able to adequately…pleasure you…because of my current stamina. If I couldn't satisfy you the way you wanted, I feared that you'd leave me to find someone else to fill that role."

Spanner's fists began to shake then as he brought himself to finish baring his soul to the other. He hoped that Shoichi would be able to understand why he was thinking the way he was.

"I…I can't stand the thought of not having you in my life, Shoichi," the British teen spoke truthfully as he brought himself to stare deeply into his love's eyes, his own shining with devotion and desperation. "I love you more than anything else. So, because of that, I was motivated, more than ever, to prevent the scenario I feared from happening. I wanted to work extra hard at building my stamina not only to protect, but also so I could…satisfy you in every way you wanted. I…I wanted to be perfect for you, Shoichi, so that the thought of leaving would never cross your mind…"

The British teen lowered his head then as he whispered out hoarsely, "I just…never wanted to see your retreating back ever again…"

* * *

When Spanner finally looked at him, his eyes were shimmering, and there was so much desperation in his gaze, it hurt Shoichi just to see it. He had wanted to make his love feel good with his offer. He was unsure what had happened to cause this, but it seemed it was good it did. It was plain and clear that there were things that needed to be talked about; fears that needed to be allayed.

His love was explaining to him all that troubled him, and it actually hurt to hear it, to hear how little Spanner trusted him. But he also understood how deeply his own actions had imprinted themselves on his love, and the kind of pain he must have inadvertently caused.

Spanner hung his head then, his words sounding so desperate; almost broken. Shoichi couldn't stop himself any longer. Again, he moved in. His arms wrapped around the other as he held him tightly.

"I won't leave you. I won't, Spanner. From the second you told me you wanted me, you had me. I love you; I've only ever loved you. I'm not going to leave, and I won't let you go either. I promised not to run away, and I will keep that promise." He tried to look into Spanner's face then, to make the other see the sincerity in his own. "There is no one else who could 'fill that role'. I want to find happiness in _**your**_ arms. I want to feel _**you**_, and eventually, I want to find fulfillment with _**you**_. No one else could give me that, because only you are in my heart. Get that through your thick, metal plated head. To me, you are perfect. You are all I ever wanted and more. I know you. I know you are a genius when it comes to machinery and robots, and I know you get as lost in your work as me. I know you're messy and forgetful about things that hold no deep interest for you. I even know you usually sleep with a nightcap. I know all these things, and I love all of them, because I love you; all of you. Don't you understand?"

Shoichi hoped that some of the love he felt for Spanner showed in his eyes then. "I'm not saying it wouldn't be nice to have our nights together last as long as possible, but it's not what's foremost in my mind. What's most important is that we are together, that we can express our love, and feel, and share each other."

Stretching a bit, Shoichi whispered against Spanner's lips. "All I want is to love you...in any way I can." Softly he touched his lips to his love's then, hoping his words had gotten through to him.

* * *

Every word that Shoichi spoke, every syllable that was uttered, was like the most beautiful music Spanner had ever heard. One by one, Shoichi put the young mechanic's fears to rest, his insecurities packing themselves away (maybe for another time or to stay away for good). For the third time in his life, Spanner could feel tears welling up behind his eyes, but, unlike the other two times this had happened, these tears were of happiness.

When Spanner felt his love press his lips against his as gently as a flower's petals, it only took a second for the young mechanic to kiss back. In an instant, that gentle kiss transformed into one of unbridled passion. As the younger teen's tongue slipped its way into Shoichi's mouth, Spanner placed his hand behind Shoichi's head, while his other hand positioned itself against the small of the programmer's back. In the blink of an eye, the British teen pushed Shoichi up against the nearest locker, his hands cushioning his love's body from the blow as he kissed the other with everything he had; tongue and teeth working together in desperation to show Shoichi just how much he felt for him.

After the time came when they both needed to part for air, Spanner stared deeply into Shoichi's eyes, their bruised and swollen lips only inches apart; their heated breaths mingling.

"I understand perfectly now, Shoichi," Spanner whispered out meaningfully as he held his love as close to him as possible. "I'm sorry for letting my fears get to me. I know you better than anyone else, so I should know how determined you can be, and how you would never break a promise if you could help it. I love everything about you, Shoichi, just like you do for me, so you're the only one in my heart as well…the only one I want to share myself fully with."

As Spanner said this, he inched closer until his lips gently pressed against Shoichi's again, the taller teen closing his eyes in rapture at the feeling before he pulled away.

"It doesn't matter what happens now. I'm perfectly fine with any answer you give me, Shoichi," Spanner informed huskily as he pressed his still hard erection against Shoichi's groin, his eyes never leaving Shoichi's for an instant. "We can both brush this instance off to the side for now, and use our time at the gym to work out…or we can forget about things today and head home to take care of this problem. What one do you think is best, Shoichi?"

* * *

When his kiss was returned, first tenderly, then full of passion, the programmer knew his love had understood him.

Metal clanked behind him as he was pushed into one of the lockers. Shoichi moaned into the wild kiss. Spanner ravished him utterly, and he loved it. He tried his best to keep up with the twisting, turning, dancing tongue in his mouth. Almost desperately, he clung to his beloved mechanic while he was kissed almost senseless.

He panted hard when they finally parted. Still, his breath was almost taken away again by the look in Spanner's eyes. His heart beat fast at the answer he received. He truly hoped his love fully understood him and believed him now.

Softly, Shoichi sighed at the tender kiss that followed. He trembled slightly when Spanner spoke with that dark, sexy voice. A whimper escaped him then as he felt his love's hard flesh pressing into him, arousing him like nothing else. "S-Spanner..." He breathed.

He swallowed against the sudden dryness in his throat. "The...The class will already have started...and the teacher doesn't take too kindly to tardiness...Let's...Let's just go home," Shoichi mumbled in answer, although his thoughts were more along the lines of, "_You think I can still concentrate on my calm center after this?!_"

He wanted to see what he had felt, wanted to touch Spanner like no one had before him. He wanted to hear him moan and make him cum. Shoichi felt himself blush at his thoughts.

* * *

Shoichi's breathless answer was all that Spanner needed. With a fire burning in his gut and his lower half, Spanner uttered a quick, "Okay," before he sealed his acceptance with another heated kiss.

Breaking away before the both of them would forget where they were, Spanner and Shoichi didn't bother to change out of their work-out clothes, because they knew it would only cause a distraction, and possibly make them forget where they were again. Keeping their current clothes on, they grabbed their other clothes from their lockers and swiftly made their way back to the apartment. Being unable to touch Shoichi during the way back, because they were in public, was practically torture for Spanner. He only wanted to hold the other close and explore whatever Shoichi was willing to offer him.

Blushing at the thought, Spanner tried to remain focused as he and Shoichi practically ran back to the apartment. The young mechanic guessed he was getting his workout anyway.

As soon as the two entered their apartment, Spanner hurriedly slammed the door shut and threw his clothes and book bag on the floor. It seemed Shoichi was doing the same thing when Spanner turned to him, but even if he wasn't, it wouldn't have mattered to the taller teen. All he cared about was getting as close to Shoichi as possible.

When Mini Mosca heard his parents' arrivals, the little robot immediately stopped his dusting to move towards the other two, beeping in greeting and wondering why they had thrown their things on the floor. Did they want him to pick them up? Before the metal contraption could so much as ask, he saw Spanner, in the next instant, copy the move he had done in the locker room (one hand going behind Shoichi's head, while the other placed itself against the other's back), and kiss Shoichi like it was their very last moment. While Spanner moaned lightly at Shoichi's reciprocation, and started moving the other one backwards until they were in Shoichi's room, Mini Mosca just stared stonily in complete robotic silence.

Maybe he should go and clean his daddy's room instead…?

Shutting the bedroom door with his feet, Spanner continued to kiss Shoichi breathless and move him backwards until they both fell onto the programmer's bed. Gasping slightly from the impact, Spanner caught his breath as he stared into Shoichi's beautiful emerald eyes. Now that they were finally home, he didn't really know what to do now…

* * *

They were rushing home like they feared there might be a disaster happening otherwise. Well, maybe it would. They were both horny as hell it seemed, and if they didn't get to be alone pretty damn soon, they might forget about everything and just let their emotions run free for everyone to see.

The moment they were through the door and inside their apartment, nothing held them back any longer. His bag had barely touched the ground when Spanner was on him. He was pulled into his love, and kissed like there was no tomorrow.

One hand clinging to the mechanic's shoulder, the other bunching up a handful of t-shirt somewhere on the other's back, Shoichi let himself get driven backwards and into his bedroom, moaning and whimpering all the while. He gasped when Spanner landed on top of him on his bed. They were both panting heavily as they looked into each other's eyes.

Shoichi shuddered at the desire he thought he saw in his love's eyes. "Spanner..." He just whispered as he lifted his hand to stroke the other's hair whorl. He smiled softly then. "I...I can't believe we are really here and that...that I can touch you like that."

His hand on Spanner's back had pulled the shirt up a bit when they had landed on the bed. Watching his love's reaction in order to stop if he went too far, Shoichi first touched the bared small of Spanner's back with light fingertips, only to then stroke the skin tenderly. Shoichi sighed deeply at the feeling of the warm, soft skin; at the intimacy of the touch.

* * *

Feeling his love caress his hair, Spanner hummed in approval and forgot his uncertainty for the moment. Grabbing onto Shoichi's hand as it came down, Spanner held it against his cheek and kissed the palm gently, reveling in the warm skin pressed against his.

"I can't believe it either," the British teen murmured softly as the uncertainty in his eyes was overcome with love for the other. "It feels like it's too good to be true."

Thinking over his next words carefully, Spanner slowly mentioned, "You can touch me anyway you like, Shoichi."

And, just like that, his love placed his other hand on the bare part of his back. Spanner hummed in contentment at feeling the other massage small circles into his skin. Bending down to thank the other, Spanner kissed Shoichi fully on the lips. Soon after, the young mechanic lost his train of thought as he focused on Shoichi's delicious mouth and nothing else. No matter how many times he did it, it seemed that Spanner could never get enough of the feeling, or the taste.

While Spanner kissed Shoichi, the young mechanic's hands roamed down his lover's clothed body and imagined what it would feel like to touch his soft skin. Shuddering in delight at the thought, Spanner parted from Shoichi's lips and started kissing down his jaw until he got to the programmer's neck. With a tentative lick, Spanner made a wet trail with his tongue from the base of Shoichi's neck to the top. Licking his lips at how sweet Shoichi still tasted, Spanner got to work licking and gently kneading the soft flesh with his teeth, relishing in the moans that elicited from Shoichi's mouth at the touch.

* * *

His soft caress was greeted by a low hum, and when he was once again kissed deeply, the programmer was sure his love liked what he did. As their tongues danced intimately, he put his hand in Spanner's neck, stroking and ruffling the hair there.

The mechanic began to touch him more, too. Up until now, though, all of their kisses had been passionate, but they had only touched each other's neck and back. Feeling Spanner's hand's roam over his chest and stomach, Shoichi moaned and whimpered softly.

He was breathless when their lips parted, but still found enough air to hiss as Spanner's rough textured tongue licked along the sensitive skin of his neck. He had never felt anything like it. It sent hot waves through his body. Deep moans escaped him at the nips he received to his sensitive flesh.

"Hmm...Spanner...feels so good," he whispered as he writhed underneath his love.

He had never felt so good in his life, and yet, he still yearned for more. His hand crept under the shirt and stroked upwards.

"You can touch me anywhere...Do what you want to me," Shoichi moaned. He wanted Spanner to know that he trusted him fully and didn't feel any fear.

* * *

If he thought that Shoichi's moans were amazing, then it was beyond that when the smaller teen placed his hand underneath Spanner's shirt and started stroking his stomach. The young mechanic shuddered at the feeling, a soft moan leaving his lips. When he heard Shoichi tell him he could do whatever he wanted to him, Spanner couldn't stop the shudder of anticipation he felt then.

"Shoichi…" the British teen whispered out huskily as he put one of his own hands underneath Shoichi's shirt and started moving his hand upward as well. Right before he reached the other's nipple, Spanner bit Shoichi hard in the neck, his tongue coming out to lick gently at the abused flesh as his fingers brushed against his love's nipple. Shoichi was his now, so he wanted everyone to see that with the bite mark.

"I didn't hurt you too bad, did I, Shoichi?" Spanner asked tentatively as he brought himself up from the programmer's neck to look into Shoichi's emerald eyes, his fingers gently rubbing one of the other man's nipples as a hopeful form of appeasement.

* * *

Feeling Spanner's naked skin under his fingertips was incredible. The programmer loved how the muscles twitched under the unfamiliar touch. Hearing his love moan softly was even better. He answered in the same way when Spanner's hand, too, touched him under the shirt.

Soft shudders went over his body, and anticipation built as the hand stroked higher and closed in on his nipple. Shoichi never expected the next thing to happen, though. Spanner's teeth clamped down on the sensitive flesh of his neck.

"Aaah!" The red-head arched up under his love in surprise and pain, but just then, Spanner's tongue licked the hurting skin, and he touched his nipple at the same time. The pained shout turned into a moan, and then a whimper when his love rubbed the little nub more intensely.

Baby-blue eyes looked into his with slight concern as he trembled. The bite, but much more the look in Spanner's eyes, spoke of possessiveness. It sent heat through Shoichi's body. "N-no...not too bad," he managed to answer as he lifted his chest as best he could, trying to get more of that tingling, electric feeling the rubbing of his nipple created.

* * *

A small smile made its way onto Spanner's lips as he heard Shoichi's answer.

"I'm glad…" The British teen whispered out as he bent forward towards Shoichi's ear. "You know, if you ever want to repay me for the bite with your own…I'd gladly accept it…"

Sealing his suggestion with a nip to his love's ear lobe, Spanner finally noticed how badly Shoichi was trying to push his chest out. Realizing that the programmer wanted him to touch him more, Spanner gladly obliged with a low hum of happiness. Slowly trailing his other hand under the hem of Shoichi's shirt, the young mechanic moved the hand upwards towards Shoichi's other nipple. Caressing both of them with his hands, Spanner took his time figuring out what Shoichi liked the most; did he just like having them rubbed, or did he like it when his nipples were twisted slightly? Maybe both at the same time? Spanner tested out his new moves, making sure that he didn't overdo things or hurt Shoichi when he tweaked the other's hardened peaks.

* * *

At the suggestion, the red-haired programmer bit his lower lip and blushed. He couldn't just bite Spanner now, could he? But before he could think on this anymore, his lobe was bitten, making him whimper again.

Any attempts at thinking flew right out the window as the second hand made its way under his shirt, and both his nipples were manipulated. Moaning, Shoichi writhed underneath his love. Trembling, he tried to reciprocate, his hand moving upwards under Spanner's shirt.

"Nnnngh!" Again Shoichi bit his lower lip, this time, though, to stop himself from getting too loud. The mechanic twisted the tiny, hard nubs, sending electricity right to the red-head's groin, and making his member twitch. There was a little pain involved but, at the same time, it felt so incredibly hot, it set Shoichi's body aflame.

"P-please...Spanner," he somehow managed to catch his panting breath enough to plead, "m-more..."

Shoichi flushed crimson at his own wanton display, but he couldn't help himself. Tentatively, he brushed his lover's nipple in return then. Hadn't he been the one who had wanted to help Spanner out? How had things turned out this way? But as his love still seemed to enjoy himself, this couldn't be too bad, huh?

* * *

Spanner never expected the responses he got. Not only did it seem that Shoichi loved everything that Spanner was doing to him, he was also begging for more! The request almost threw the young mechanic off; just how much more could he do? He couldn't just laze around and mess with Shoichi's nipples for the rest of the night, he had to figure out something else or…or Shoichi would get bored with him, right?

Biting his lower lip a bit, Spanner contemplated on his next step while he rubbed and pinched the hardened peaks in his fingers. While he was thinking of his next step, though, he felt Shoichi's own hand move upward and brush against one of his nipples as well. The British teen's breath hitched at the friction as he pushed his chest against Shoichi's hand, silently asking for more. Low whimpers left his lips as Shoichi did what he was asked; it truly felt amazing! But, as the pleasure increased for the both of them, Spanner saw how weird and uncomfortable their situation was starting to become. Things would be so much easier if their shirts weren't part of the equation.

Almost unwillingly, Spanner pulled back from his beloved. Hesitantly, his hands hovered over the hem of his shirt. This wasn't like the time they were in the gym's changing room. He was purposefully taking his clothes off in front of the person he cared about most. Needless to say, Spanner was a little uncertain, and embarrassed, but he knew that if things were to go further like they wished, clothes would have to be eliminated.

With a blush dusting his cheeks, Spanner slipped his shirt over his head and tossed it to the side of the bed. Then, with shaking hands, Spanner grabbed the bottom of Shoichi's shirt as his eyes met with his love's.

"Shoichi…please…" Were the only things the blonde mechanic could whisper out before complete embarrassment overtook him. How strange must he have looked to the other by now? So much for being in control of the situation…

* * *

Once more, Shoichi arched underneath Spanner as his nipples were pinched. He bit his lip again, not to get too loud. Even though his love stuck out his chest as he brushed the little bud, too, he only whimpered very softly, while the programmer himself felt like screaming. He rubbed some more, but the result was the same. Was he doing something wrong, or was it just Spanner? He just had the calmer nature, right?

Before Shoichi could think some more about it, the mechanic sat up. Questioningly, he looked up at the blonde. Was he doing so badly that Spanner had lost interest? But before the uncertainty really could get to him, he saw the hovering hands. The blush that dusted the other's cheeks then was just beyond adorable.

Shoichi's eyes fully roamed Spanner's upper body as soon as the shirt was gone. He had only dared to sneak a peek or two before. As he felt the slightly shaking hands at his own shirt's hem and felt his love's gaze on him, Shoichi looked up with all the love and desire he felt.

Blushing a bit himself then, he lifted his upper body so Spanner could take off his shirt. When he lay back down, he reached out his hands to let his fingertips roam over his love's naked body.

"Th-This is better..." He whispered.

* * *

As he felt his love's eyes roam his upper torso, Spanner's blush grew deeper as he silently asked for Shoichi to remove his shirt. To his surprise, though, Shoichi just lifted his body and looked at him expectantly. With his whole body practically going red at Shoichi's silent offer, Spanner slipped the programmer's shirt off of his head. As he did this, Spanner could feel his member become even harder and pre-cum start to drip from the tip as he stared at the expanse of his lover's chest.

Admiring the beauty below him, the young mechanic barely took notice of how Shoichi lay down again, and how his roommates hands came up to explore his naked skin. Spanner had to suppress a loud moan at the feeling of the other's delicate fingertips upon him. As his moan came out more as a strangled whimper, pleasurable shudders rolled down the British teen's spine at Shoichi's ministrations, not wanting them to end.

"Y-Yes…" Spanner whispered out breathlessly as his hands started exploring Shoichi's torso as well, "…this definitely is better…"

While the blonde teen's hands slowly trailed down his love's sides, Spanner remembered how sensitive they were when he heard Shoichi react and fidget underneath his touch. Knowing that Shoichi loved his massages, but having never given the other a massage along his sides (or front for that matter), Spanner decided to test something out. Digging his fingers into the skin, Spanner started finding the most sensitive areas along Shoichi's sides and started massaging small circles into them to see his love's reaction. Would his actions make Shoichi feel uncomfortable, or would it be pleasurable?

* * *

The programmer's blush deepened as Spanner looked at his naked body extensively. But, although he was bit embarrassed, he also felt that with all his work-out his body was presentable, so he really hoped Spanner liked what he saw.

When he elicited soft whimpers from the mechanic, he grew bolder; rubbing the other's nipples. He hissed slightly when he not only felt the buds harden, but could watch them, too. Just then, Spanner's fingers slid along his sides. Shoichi couldn't stop the twitches as the light caress tickled him like crazy. He bit his tongue not to destroy the sexy mood with fits of giggles, but it was hard.

Just as he thought he couldn't keep it in any longer, Spanner's fingers dug into his skin. The feather-light caresses becoming more intense, massaging touches. The giggles died in his throat to become a deep moan. The mechanic's fingers wandered over his skin and skillfully found out his most sensitive areas, reducing Shoichi to a whimpering puddle of goo.

He had never felt this good before in his life. Spanner was driving him crazy, but in the best possible way. Trying to give some of his good feelings back, Shoichi carefully twirled the hard nubs on his lover's chest.

* * *

When he heard deep, guttural moans as his answer, Spanner knew he was doing things right. But, just as he thought this, he strangled back a cry of delight when Shoichi twirled his nipples with his thumbs. The feeling was electrifying, and caused Spanner to bite his lip and hold back his forthcoming moans. It felt so good!

As his blood began to pump faster from the adrenaline he felt then, Spanner felt an insatiable lust come over him as he stared hungrily down at Shoichi. While he continued to massage his lover's sides, the hungry mechanic swooped down and licked a long trail from Shoichi's stomach and up to his chest. It seemed that no matter what skin he tasted of the other, it was always unbearably sweet and distinctive in its own special way.

Spanner felt like he could never have enough of it.

With his taste buds dancing, the British teen eyed Shoichi's hardened nipples and realized they kind of looked like hard candies if he thought about it in an abstract way. With that thought, it was impossible to deter the blonde teen from his next goal. Due to his love for sweets, Spanner licked a small circle around one of Shoichi's hardened nubs, loving the taste it provided and the moan he got from Shoichi in response. Taking that as his incentive, the next few minutes flew by with Spanner taking turns lavishing his roommate's nipples with his tongue as he massaged his sides; the younger teen licking, sucking and nipping hungrily at the flesh.

* * *

Shoichi trembled as he saw Spanner bite his lower lip. His love really looked like he enjoyed what he did to him. But the way he held back his moans...maybe he should do the same? Maybe Spanner didn't like it if it got too loud?

For a moment then, all action stopped. Spanner hovered over him, looking at him like he was the last cherry sucker on earth. Shoichi couldn't stop the trembling, the growing expectancy, and the crimson blush.

Again, he was massaged, but not only that, Spanner's hot, wet tongue licked over his naked skin. He had never felt anything like it. As Shoichi had no room to play anymore, anyway, his hands had fallen to his sides, grabbing the mattress.

"S-Spanner...Aah!"

The red-head moaned throatily then as all of a sudden his nipple was under the sweetest attack. Electric impulses shot from his nipple right to his groin. Even the most comfortable boxers were long past way too tight, and now they were wet, too. With every lick, the programmer got louder. As he felt the teeth on his over-sensitized flesh, he almost screamed. Slamming the back of his hand over his mouth, he bit into it to stop himself.

"Nnnnnngh!"

Still he arched, enjoying every second of it. He had never thought it could feel so good.

* * *

The sweetest, most delicious moans answered him as Spanner feasted on Shoichi's nipples. But, all of a sudden, the hungry mechanic realized that Shoichi's moans were starting to become muffled. Glancing up, he saw Shoichi biting into the back of his hand. Wanting to hear his love's cries of pleasure, Spanner mercilessly licked every inch of Shoichi's bare chest then, the taller teen nipping and sucking his love's sensitive sides in order to make his love cry out loud and clear. Sadly, those screams continued to stay muffled despite his actions.

With passion and desire overflowing within him, the British teen moved forward, ripped Shoichi's hand away from his mouth, and slammed his lips hungrily against the other's instead. After some frantic licking at his surprised lover's lips, Shoichi finally allowed him access, and Spanner dove into his love's mouth, his tongue licking every inch of the warm cavern in desperate need. When he felt Shoichi reciprocate just as desperately, Spanner just let himself go. The next few minutes were filled with frantic kisses and hungry tongues, Spanner's lips parting from Shoichi's only to have them slamming back against his loves' at a different angle, his teeth kneading the other's lips occasionally as he sucked on them.

When they parted for precious oxygen, Spanner remembered why he had started kissing the other in the first place. With his baby blue eyes staring heatedly and possessively down into Shoichi's shimmering emeralds, Spanner leaned in close to get his message across.

"Never hold your voice back, Shoichi. I want to hear it…" Spanner demanded, his voice coming out in a husky whisper. And, just to make sure Shoichi understood him, Spanner pressed his crotch against Shoichi's, their hardened members pushing against each other and making the mechanic hiss loudly at the amazing feeling. He had no idea how much he truly needed Shoichi in that moment, but Spanner was sure he needed him more than ever now.

* * *

The programmer twitched and fidgeted at the renewed attack; the licking and sexy little bites into his sides almost driving him insane. Shoichi couldn't decide whether to try to escape them, or crave them; they just felt so overwhelmingly amazing. He had to bite hard, and press the hand fast against his mouth to keep himself from screaming.

Suddenly, that hand was torn away, though. In utter surprise, Shoichi wanted to ask Spanner what was wrong, but his lips were sealed before he ever could. A hot, demanding tongue worked on his lips, prying them apart. The red-head just opened himself with a sigh then. He had no idea what had come over Spanner, but could never get enough of his kisses anyway, so he just succumbed.

His love's tongue claimed him, ravishing him utterly. Shoichi moaned into their kiss wholeheartedly, knowing the sounds would be swallowed mostly anyway. With all the desire he felt, he reciprocated the mad dance of Spanner's tongue, whining sadly when the other's left his lips, and moaning when they met again as his lips were sucked at and bitten.

His arms had wrapped around Spanner again, hanging on for dear life. He felt like he was getting devoured by his love, but he had never felt so good. He really didn't mind if he were to die this way.

When their flaming kisses finally ended, Spanner looked at him once more in that way; the way that had Shoichi trembling in need for him. His words surprised the programmer. Was Spanner really sure? But before he could ask, his love's hard flesh pressed into him. Shoichi's eyes went wide as he arched into this most amazing feeling, unable hold his voice in any longer.

"Spanner!"

Blushing crimson again and panting, he looked up into those baby-blue eyes. "S-Spanner...I...I can't take it much longer..." he whispered softly, voice trembling as much as his hands that were going for the mechanic's crotch. One hand stroked softly over the hard bulge in the other's pants. "I...I promised...Let...Let me take care of you." His eyes were shining with determination, even while he was a bit unsure, since he had never done this before. But he knew he wanted to make Spanner feel as good as he did.

* * *

"Shoichi!" Was the mechanic's strangled answer when he heard his love scream out his name. He could feel himself becoming even more wet at the sight of the other arching his back below him. It was one of the sexiest sights he had ever seen, but unbeknownst to Spanner, he'd see something sexier yet.

When Shoichi's whispered pleas reached his ears, and the programmer's hand rubbed up against Spanner's hard on, the British teen couldn't hold back the pleasurable gasp that escaped him. His member felt like it was on fire from the simple touch, and Spanner wanted more of it; of Shoichi. With Spanner's surprised, yet pleasure-filled eyes meeting Shoichi's determined ones, the blonde teen could only bring himself to nod as he pressed his erection against Shoichi's hand in need. He could find no words to speak of his intense desire, but hopefully his actions would get across to his love.

He needed Shoichi; as much as the other was willing to offer.

* * *

Spanner gasped deeply and pressed himself into his hand. With that look of utter need in his beloved mechanic's eyes, and the small nod, Shoichi felt reassured. Nonetheless, his hands trembled slightly as he fumbled to loosen the knot on the other's sweat pants. With his hands, he pushed them down as far as he could before he used his flexibility to pull them down all the way with his feet.

His heart beat fast as he touched the front of the damp boxers. It was a weird feeling, but made him proud in a way. To Spanner, he was sexy enough to be responsible for this! This thought helped him gain more confidence. Carefully pulling the waistband forward, Shoichi pulled the boxers down then, using his feet for the rest of the way again. His eyes were on Spanner's the next moment, silently asking for permission before he looked down. A dark blonde nest of curls surrounded the fully erect member that, in its length, definitely reflected Spanner's European origin. Shoichi swallowed.

With his love hovering above him, this wouldn't be too easy. Looking into the other's eyes again, he put a hand against his shoulder, pushing softly. "Spanner...please...c-can you lie down?" He asked.

It actually felt weird when his love did as he requested, and he was halfway on top of him the next moment. He snuggled up to Spanner then; one leg wound around the other. He looked into Spanner's eyes once more before he bent his head to lick at a nipple, and wrapped his hand around the hard flesh of his love. Hoping Spanner liked the same things he did, Shoichi softly rubbed his thumb over and along the wet tip of the weeping member as his tongue circled the nipple.

* * *

Spanner shuddered in anticipation and arousal as he watched Shoichi fumble with the laces of his waistband. He never expected that watching the other help undress him would be so hot, but it was; especially when Shoichi used his feet to slide Spanner's pants all the way off.

Feeling the cool air on his bare legs now, Spanner felt some relief now that his trousers were off, but his hardened member was still straining against the tight fabric of his boxers. When the young mechanic felt Shoichi touch the wet spot where his tip was, Spanner let out another small gasp of arousal. He needed Shoichi so badly, it was driving him crazy!

His love seemed to understand his pressing need, because Spanner watched in complete fascination then as Shoichi slid his boxers off with his hands and feet. With a small whimper escaping his lips as the cold air hit the sensitive skin of his bare, overheated flesh, the British teen saw his love stare back at him in question and hesitance. Blushing a little at what Shoichi was silently asking of him, Spanner closed his eyes, understood that Shoichi was going to look at _**all**_ of him for the first time in his life, and nodded his head in assent.

Spanner was too embarrassed to see Shoichi's reaction to his completely naked body. In truth, he felt like he was pretty well endowed…maybe slightly above average, so he couldn't complain, but just knowing that the person he cared for the most was looking at him, it made Spanner's earlier over-dominating personality completely disappear in order to be replaced by complete self-consciousness. It didn't help that he wasn't the most physically in shape, either. Sure, he had great biceps because of his arm strength, but that was it. He wasn't as well-toned as Shoichi was from his constant work outs…

As he thought this, the uncertain blonde heard Shoichi's hesitant question. With his eyes widening at the suggestion, but knowing it would probably be easier for the both of them at this point, Spanner did as he was asked and laid down on the bed.

Feeling the warmth of Shoichi's body press up beside him then, the excited mechanic hummed in appreciation. After his love wrapped his leg around Spanner's closest one, he did two things simultaneously that threw the young Brit off guard. After giving him one last glance, Shoichi's tongue lapped at one of his nipples as his hand wrapped around Spanner's hard flesh at the same time. A loud gasp of surprise and pleasure left Spanner's lips at the electricity that traveled up and down his spine from the two different areas. The countercurrent was sending amazing warmth throughout his body, and making the younger teen squirm in pleasure.

"S-Shoichi!" Spanner called out as he felt his love encircle his nipple with his tongue and rub the tip of his erection at the same time. The feeling was beyond amazing, and caused the taller teen to press his length into Shoichi's warm hand, begging for more friction, and for him to push his chest into his love's mouth for the same reason. Spanner could feel his lower abdomen begin to twist, and he could tell he wouldn't last too much longer. He almost felt ashamed that he didn't last that long the moment Shoichi touched his lower half, even though he expected as such from the beginning, because he was too lost in the amazing feeling Shoichi was giving to his body.

* * *

Hearing Spanner call out his name then sent shivers down the programmer's spine. It seemed like his love really did like the same things he did. Feeling encouraged by this knowledge and the writhing body that pressed upward and into his hand, Shoichi intensified his ministrations.

Closing his lips around the wet nipple, he sucked softly as his hand moved along the hard length. Low, soft, sexy noises poured from Spanner's mouth, turning Shoichi on like nothing else. His hand sped up, rubbing up and down the hard shaft as he carefully teased the sensitive bud with his teeth. From there, it didn't take long.

When Spanner came in his hand, Shoichi almost came undone himself at the incredibly intense feeling. Softly, he moaned as he moved his hand, milking his love until he was fully spent. He kissed and licked along the other's chest; slowly going upwards.

He was amazed at the intensity of the feelings he had by just jerking his beloved mechanic off. But how ever would it feel when they really became one?

"I love you...I love you so much," he whispered in Spanner's ear, his voice full of emotion. Pressing into the other's body a bit more, he latched his lips onto the sensitive skin underneath the ear. He couldn't bring himself to bite Spanner, because he didn't want to hurt him. Still, he pressed his lips fast against the skin, sucking intensely; knowing that would be enough to cause a colorful mark. He wanted people to know Spanner was off the market.

* * *

Noises he didn't even know he could make flowed from his lips as Spanner continued to be taken care of by Shoichi. The young mechanic rocked his hips in time to his love pumping his hardened member, the friction beyond addicting to Spanner, who never wanted it to end. And then, there were Shoichi's lips and tongue on his nipple. Bloody hell, it was amazing! The way the other sucked and licked his flesh was electrifying, and, in Spanner's opinion, put his same ministrations on Shoichi to shame.

When Shoichi started pumping him faster and nipping at his sensitive flesh, it didn't take long for Spanner to succumb to rapture. With a long, low moan of the other's name, he came copiously into his love's hand; Shoichi still pumping him until Spanner was completely spent.

Absolutely overcome with exhaustion, the British teen lay against the bed as he felt Shoichi lick and kiss his way up his chest. Slight shivers traveled down Spanner's tired frame, but he could hardly move to reciprocate. It seemed that strain he had placed on his muscles that morning, and what he had just experienced now, practically robbed him of whatever energy he had left. But that was, until Shoichi's words reached him. All of a sudden, Spanner's exhaustion was replaced with intense emotions. He felt so happy and complete in his love's arms, and so relieved that Shoichi wanted him and didn't want to run away anymore, that Spanner could feel tears press against his eyes.

Even though the tears didn't fall, just knowing that Shoichi could bring such emotion to him proved that he was the one for Spanner. Shoichi seemed to think this, too, as he pressed up against him and sucked on the skin below his ear, trying to make a mark to signify their relationship to the world. A light moan escaped the blonde teen's mouth as he felt the action against his skin. Shoichi was placing his mark in an even more noticeable place then Spanner had.

At that thought, the young mechanic's possessiveness took over again as he hugged Shochi to him as close as possible. Almost immediately after this action, though, he could feel the red-head's erection press up against his body. A feeling of surprise overtook Spanner for a moment before he realized that he hadn't returned the favor to his love yet. Spanner wanted nothing more than to help Shoichi, to bring him to completion, but what could he do with his muscles in the state they were in? It was hard to even move his arms at the moment.

Gathering every ounce of energy he still had in him, Spanner prepared himself to do whatever it took to help Shoichi in the same way.

"I-I love you too, Shoichi…So much," Spanner whispered out thickly, his emotions practically overflowing in that moment as Shoichi detached himself from the mechanic's neck. Placing his hand against Shoichi's still clothed member, Spanner looked deeply into his love's eyes then. "It's my turn to prove that now…please, Shoichi..."

Spanner knew that he didn't have the energy to take Shoichi's pants off himself, so it would be up to his love to do it instead. Blushing slightly at the thought, and feeling a bit embarrassed by his weakness, Spanner brought himself to say what was on his mind.

"I-I'll need your help, though," Spanner uttered in embarrassment, unable to look Shoichi in the eyes as he lightly tugged at the hem of his lover's pants. "Could you…take the rest of your stuff off and then lay beside me?"

* * *

Spanner pulled him even closer. Shoichi couldn't help but whimper softly as his aroused, oversensitive member was pressed uncomfortable against his love's side. Any such feelings he forgot, though, as Spanner repeated his own words of love to him. It felt so incredibly good to hear the other one say it; and in that deeply emotional way, too.

"Ah!" Shoichi couldn't hold in the strained, pleasured sound when Spanner touched his crotch then. Arching into the cupping hand, he had closed his eyes in rapture, but opened them again when his love pleaded with him.

Looking at his beloved mechanic, he seemed tired out. Shoichi really wanted to tell him that he shouldn't strain himself, that it wasn't necessary, and that, after all, he could take care of himself. Only the words that came out were different. "Hmm...Spanner...yes...please."

As his love begged him to strip himself, the red-head smiled softly. "Yes, of course."

Rolling onto his back, he pulled his sweatpants off, sighing at the freedom. His boxers were off a moment later with a sigh even deeper. Only when he turned back to Spanner did Shoichi blush, aware that he was finally fully naked before him.

Would Spanner like what he saw? He definitely wasn't as big as his love, and he was so pale everywhere, which made the fiery red of his pubic hair stand out even more. Uncertainty shimmering in his eyes once more, Shoichi looked at his love, trying to read the other's expression.

* * *

Spanner watched on hungrily as Shoichi smiled, agreed to his request, and began to strip on the bed. It truly was a delicious sight to see, his love's creamy skin slowly becoming more exposed as each article of clothing was discarded to the side. It wasn't long until Spanner was staring at his lover's weeping erection; red curls surrounding it, and standing out from his pale flesh. It slightly amused Spanner, in that moment, how Shoichi's pubic hair was only slightly curlier than the hair on top of the programmer's head, but he knew that his was probably the same.

When Shoichi's uncertain eyes met his, Spanner smiled softly in affection as he admired his lover's body. It truly was beautiful, and he couldn't stop himself from reaching forward and stroking alongside Shoichi's body and appreciating how smooth the skin felt under his touch.

After his fingers reached Shoichi's upper thigh, Spanner stopped in his quest to stare deeply into his beloved's eyes, his own baby blues shining with absolute love.

"Let me hold you, Shoichi…" Spanner whispered out in need as he brought Shoichi closer to him, his other hand coming out to wrap underneath and around the other's body. With their chests now touching, Spanner made sure there was enough space below them to effectively pleasure Shoichi with his hand before he brought his free hand down to slowly caress his love's hardened member.

"You're absolutely beautiful, Shoichi…" Spanner murmured huskily as he grabbed hold of Shoichi's length and began pumping it in a slow, rhythmic fashion, his thumb occasionally passing over the tip and smearing the pre-cum. "This has truly been an amazing day."

The young mechanic knew that he probably wouldn't be able to pick up the pace of his pumping because of how sore his arm was, but he hoped he could get Shoichi off anyway. With that in mind, he bent down to capture the programmer's lips with his, their tongues dancing in sweet harmony for a moment before Spanner pulled away to look deeply into his lover's eyes again.

"I'm so happy, Shoichi, and so thankful for this moment…That I'm the one that's sharing it with you…" Spanner started out, his eyes shining with love and devotion as he pumped the other slowly; meaningfully. "You mean everything to me, and this day has only proven that to me over and over again. It's made me think of how I never want this to end between us…how I want us to stay together for the rest of our lives."

Spanner swallowed thickly then as he imagined his greatest fear, of seeing Shoichi run away from him. He couldn't stand the thought of living without the other!

"I can't imagine a life without you, Shoichi," Spanner finally admitted, noticing how Shoichi was closing his eyes now and was fully into his slow, sensual pumping. Hoping that the other could still hear him through the pleasure he was feeling, Spanner continued.

"This whole scenario that's happened to us, the one that almost tore us apart but brought us inevitably closer, that brought us here…" Spanner uttered, slowly and deliberately, his voice matching the smooth cadence of his hand movements now as he brought his lover closer and closer to completion. "…It's made me realize that this is where I'm supposed to be. All those years ago, when my Gramps and I were reading books of Japanese culture, my parents' car accident, all of those things happened so that I could come to Japan someday and fall in love with a person from the culture I had learned to come to love as well. What I'm saying Shoichi is that…"

And suddenly, Spanner put the rest of his energy into squeezing his hand tighter around the other's erection, and jerking his hand hard and fast up Shoichi's shaft to make his love cum at the sudden increase in friction, before he continued.

"…you're my soul mate…"

* * *

Spanner's soft smile reassured the red-head. He sighed as his side was stroked tenderly. They looked into each other's eyes. Shoichi shivered at the intensity, at the love he saw reflected in those baby-blue orbs.

He helped his weakened lover out then, pressing into Spanner as he was pulled into the other's arms. Shoichi hissed when that strong, calloused hand wrapped around his needy flesh. Moaning softly, he pushed himself into the loose fist.

Blushing at the sweet words Spanner whispered, the red-head nodded. "It…It was...is...aaah."

His lips were claimed in a slow, sweet, deep kiss. Shoichi moaned at the feeling of being completely at Spanner's mercy. When their kiss ended, his gaze was hazy with lust already. His love was baring his soul to him then, spilling all his feelings for him to see as he pleasured him in the rhythm his words poured forth.

His usually so-cool-and-contained love was showing him everything, sharing every feeling with him. It was the intensity of these feelings, even more than the physical pleasure, that was causing the tension in Shoichi's body to quickly build now. He wanted to answer Spanner, to tell him how he never wanted their love to end either, but all he could do was moan and whimper in sheer lust.

As much as he wanted, the programmer couldn't even hold his love's gaze anymore as ecstasy took over his body. Writhing against Spanner, he at least still heard the other speak. He felt his eyes wet when his love declared that he believed in destiny, their destiny together.

Right then, Spanner suddenly increased the speed of his hand. There was no way Shoichi could hold out any longer. Arching his back, he pushed forward into his love's fist, spilling his seed all over the other's hand and between both their bodies as he screamed Spanner's name in pure ecstasy.

In his ears, the words "soul mate" rang loud and clear as his body trembled in the waves of his overwhelming orgasm. The tears that had gathered spilled forth then. He held as tightly to Spanner as he could, burying his face in the crook of the other's neck as much as his glasses allowed.

"Spanner...Spanner...I never dared to hope...I love you...I want to stay with you forever...love you forever...Spanner...my...my love...my soul mate..." Shoichi whispered between sobs.

* * *

The scream of ecstasy from Shoichi continuously echoed in Spanner's ears, and stirred so many emotions in his heart, as he felt the warm semen of the other drip down from his hand and stomach. Even though he had gone slowly, he had been able to make Shoichi release, he had been able to make his love feel good, and that filled Spanner with happiness.

Spanner's happiness only increased, though, as he felt Shoichi press fully against him then and bury his face into the crook of the British teen's neck, his glasses poking into Spanner's skin as he cried out on how much he felt the same for Spanner.

Overcome with joy, Spanner wrapped his arms fully around his soul mate, feeling a little guilty that he was probably getting semen all over Shoichi's back from his hand, but not truly caring at the moment in favor of holding the other to him as close as possible.

"Shoichi…" Spanner whimpered out happily as he also buried his face into his lover's neck, kissing the bite mark he had made there at an earlier time. Shoichi had heard him! And even better, Shoichi agreed with him! He felt the same way!

The taller teen didn't know how long they lay there, just holding onto each other desperately, but all too soon, Spanner could feel full fatigue coming over him. He wouldn't be able to stay up too much longer.

Pushing himself slightly away from Shoichi, Spanner stared lovingly down into his love's, wet, shimmering eyes, his own baby blues becoming wet with tears as well. With his clean hand, Spanner carefully took off his beloved red-head's glasses and set them on the bedside table. When he repositioned himself and faced his love again, Spanner used his clean hand again to wipe away Shoichi's stray tears before he leaned forward for a sweet kiss. The kiss was brief, but it was deep and full of meaning as they poured every emotion they had for the other in it. When they parted, Spanner gave his love an apologetic look as he lay beside the other in exhaustion, yet complete satisfaction. This truly was the greatest day of his life.

"I'm…sorry, Shoichi…I can't stay awake any longer…" Spanner mumbled tiredly, yet happily, as he felt his lids become heavy. He could see the image of his beloved become blurry then as his eyes started to close, and then for it to fully disappear when they completely shut. It only took another second after that for Spanner to fall into a deep sleep, the image of Shoichi's tender smiling face the last thing he saw before he left for dream land.

* * *

The way they held each other fast with nothing in between them was almost better than everything that happened before it. Shoichi just felt incredibly close to his love. Spanner took off his glasses, and wiped away the last tears before they kissed again; just a sweet communion of their mouths and tongues.

Shoichi smiled full of love for the other when the mechanic confessed that he couldn't stay awake any longer. He watched the other fall asleep in seconds. Tenderly, he stroked Spanner's hair before he took his glasses, putting them back on.

Still wrapped in all the love and incredible feelings Spanner had given him, he was walking on cloud nine. Naked as he was, he left his room to head to the bathroom opposite of them. When he heard a series of greeting beeps, and saw Mini Mosca standing in the middle of the room watching him, he squeaked in surprise and was instantly overcome with embarrassment. Turning crimson, Shoichi tried to cover his privates.

"Mini! Turn around!"

The moment these words were out, he knew they were useless anyway. The image of his naked, sex disheveled body would forever be burned to Mini's hard drive.

"_My goodness! Why was I so careless?"_ Shoichi thought as he disappeared into the bathroom as fast as he could. He felt like the worst, sluttiest Mommy ever. He cleaned himself fast then, and put on a bathrobe.

Shoichi returned to the main room and headed for the Mosca. Kneeling down before him, he stroked the confused little robot's dome.

"I'm sorry I shouted at you. It wasn't your fault. I guess you don't even think anything by it…You just surprised me. Just...Just ignore what happened and...and what you probably heard today..."

"Mommy and Daddy are happy together?" Mini Mosca asked using his screen.

"Yes, very much so," Shoichi affirmed, smiling dreamily.

"I'm happy, too." A heart form appeared on the screen.

Shoichi laughed softly and patted the robot once more before he stood up. "We'll be sleeping now, and probably won't get up 'til early morning," he let Mini Mosca know before he headed back to the bathroom to get a warm, wet cloth.

Tenderly and careful not to wake his love, Shoichi cleaned his lover and the sheets as good as he possibly could before he stripped again and snuggled up close to Spanner. Wrapping the covers tightly around them, he followed Spanner into the land of dreams soon afterward.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:** Hi there! Here's the seventh chapter. Many thanks to GStorm59 for her review. We were very happy about it. It keeps us going!

Now here is once again AdaraLove giving you her thoughts:

_Okay guys, you're in for a treat this chapter ;D Spanner and Shoichi still need to work through some problems, but we're finally letting them get their lemon they've been dying for! Sadly, though, since the lemon was so long, we had to put the rest of it in the eighth chapter following this, but hopefully you guys won't mind ;D_

_Anyways guys, remember to review! We'll only continue to post a new chapter as long as we receive a single review **per **__chapter. We're doing it that way so that we know that people are at least getting to our latest chapters and still want to read more of the story. If we don't get a review, then we have no idea if anyone is actually interested. Still, if you see that the chapter has been reviewed already, don't let that stop you from reviewing also! Éthelywn and I love to read your guys' comments, no matter how little they are, so don't hesitate to tell us!_

_**Warnings for this chapter:**__ Sexy times ahead ;D_

* * *

**Chapter 7**

The next few days went by in a flurry. Even though it was hard those first two days, Spanner kept his determination and pulled through with working out with Shoichi. It would take some more time to really build up his stamina like he wanted, but the programmer was very proud of his friend when they did their first morning run without having to pause for his love to catch his breath.

Since the first time they had touched each other intimately, it seemed they just couldn't stop it anymore; finding reasonable and unreasonable reasons alike to do it. Shoichi liked to use Spanner's training progress as grounds for rewarding him. His love needed an incentive to keep at it after all, didn't he? Just about any reason was good enough to touch and feel his beloved mechanic, the two of them sharing a bed every night since the first one where they had confessed their love.

As the competition was approaching fast now, everyone was busy. Shoichi prepared papers, blueprints and discs showing off their progress to prove Mini Mosca was their original work.

Then Byakuran approached him during one of their computer classes. Shoichi was a bit nervous, but the white-haired genius only asked him about finishing their project together the way they had begun it.

Shoichi had to swallow at that. It really put him into a bad position when he thought about it. He was a man of his word. He didn't like leaving things unfinished. But he also knew Spanner's feelings on the matter "Byakuran". Shoichi told the other he needed a little time to think about it, and think about it he did; long and hard. Still, he couldn't help but breach the matter.

They had to throw out their couch finally after three days when it had started to smell pretty bad. With a blanket and some cheap cushions, they had made a makeshift nest for themselves. So when Shoichi lay in Spanner's arms on the blanket that day, stroking the hair whorl that had always fascinated him, he finally said what had been on his mind that whole day.

"I have to talk to you about something," Shoichi said with a soft sigh. "You know how close we are to the competition...Byakuran approached me. D-Don't worry, he didn't do anything...He just asked me...about the game, you know? It...It was our project. I've put in a lot of work, and I promised…I want to keep that promise."

His heart was beating fast as he looked into Spanner's eyes, pleading with the other.

* * *

Waking up to Shoichi in his arms always made Spanner's morning. That was his everyday experience for the rest of the week. He'd wake up beside his beloved, and then they'd go work out, shower together, eat a hearty breakfast, and then go to class. Afterward, if Shoichi had yoga classes, Spanner would follow the other to the gym and use the facilities to run on the treadmills and lift some weights. The British teen was proud to say that his stamina was beginning to improve, but he knew that it would take up to a month in order to get the full effects of his training. One week couldn't change everything.

Well…his and Shoichi's relationship was an exception.

Every day the two of them found some way to touch the other in the most intimate of ways. They hadn't gone all the way yet (Spanner was adamant on increasing his stamina before that happened), but the newfound intimacy only proved how much closer they were growing as a significant pair, and Spanner loved every second of it.

When he wasn't training or making Shoichi squirm underneath his touch, the young mechanic was fine tuning Mini Mosca for the following weekend's robot competition, while Shoichi took care of the blueprints and such. The little robot loved the extra attention, because his mommy and daddy always seemed to be sharing it with each other more often (not that he truly minded…he just knew that he should feel lonely because they didn't spend too much time around him like they used to). Spanner seemed to notice this and deemed that he and Shoichi would do their homework in the living room on their make-shift couch, while Mini Mosca cleaned and blasted their favorite music with his built in speakers. That way, they could spend their evenings together.

Spanner was proud of his little family unit, and couldn't be happier when he came home from a rough day of classes to lay down on the cushions in the living room, and have Shoichi lay down beside him (more like on him, because of the lack of space) when he got home.

In fact, he was experiencing that same moment now, and humming in appreciation as Shoichi's fingers stroked through his hair. When the touches stopped, though, and his love began to speak uncertainly to him, Spanner knew something was up. With his eyes shimmering with concern, he listened intently to the programmer's words until he heard the word, "Byakuran", and automatically stiffened. Shoichi probably noticed this because of their close proximity, and started trying to reassure him, but Spanner just couldn't quell the fears that awoke within him. Shoichi wanted to meet up with Byakuran again…_**alone**_.

Noticing how Shoichi was staring at him with pleading eyes, Spanner had to look away before he could fall victim to the other's puppy-dog pout. The unnerved blonde couldn't suppress the sense of slight betrayal he felt at Shoichi's request, even though he knew he shouldn't. Shoichi had proven to him over and over again throughout the week that he only truly loved him, but that didn't stop the mechanic from worrying about the White Menace himself. He trusted Shoichi, but not Byakuran; _**never **_Byakuran.

Spanner felt his whole body shake in anger at the thought of the man doing something to Shoichi when he wasn't there, when Shoichi was alone with him again. He wanted nothing more than to refuse Shoichi's request, to force the other to stay away from the crazy clown…but…he couldn't. Spanner knew that if he did, he'd be no better than an abusive partner, and he'd make Shoichi unhappy by making him break his promise. He couldn't make Shoichi abandon a project he had put so much of his time into already.

So, with those facts running around in his worry-filled mind, Spanner bit his lip and nodded his head, unable to speak or look into Shoichi's eyes then. He also couldn't stop shaking it seemed. Spanner could feel his whole body vibrating with the anger and intense fear he felt. What if Byakuran did something to Shoichi again? What if he tried to steal his love away from him?! Spanner couldn't stand that thought, and couldn't stop the horrific images that played within his head then. He couldn't lose Shoichi again! He couldn't!

* * *

First his love tensed, but when he started to shake under him, Shoichi felt really bad for bringing the topic up. But what else could he have done? He never could have worked with Byakuran behind Spanner's back!

It took a few moments, but in the end the mechanic consented, even though it seemed he couldn't even look at him while he did. Shoichi bit his lower lip. He had really thought about it long and hard before he had made his decision. Maybe, if he shared his thoughts...?

"I know it's hard for you, but you have nothing to fear. I know it's hard to believe, but...but Byakuran must have accepted my feelings. It took me a while to realize it myself...but don't you think if he had really wanted to, he would have defeated you easily? You know how strong he really is. He could have defeated you and...and taken me...easily, but he didn't. And if...if it's just a front he puts up to have me fall for him, I won't. My heart belongs to you, and only you, as well...as well as my body." Shoichi blushed at these words. Softly he stroked that hair whorl again, swallowing around the lump in his throat. He was playing his trump card now, and hoped that would help to really reassure Spanner. "Also, I won't go alone. If Byakuran wants to work with me, he'll have to accept Mini around. He'll be my bodyguard. He did it once, and he'll protect me again; although I really don't expect anything to happen."

Shoichi took a deep breath. "I want to keep my promise, not for Byakuran, but for you. I want to be a reliable man. And also, I have very good chances of winning with the game. It would make for an important extra point in my resume. We want to be the best for Tsunayoshi-kun, don't we?"

* * *

When Shoichi's words reached his ears, Spanner stilled. His words had a sense of truth to them, because it was obvious that, no matter how much stronger either of them got, Byakuran would always be stronger. It seemed that people blessed with Sky Flames would always be. Byakuran could have easily taken Shoichi for himself, but he didn't. Still, that didn't stop the young mechanic's worrying. Just because Byakuran decided to let their relationship be, didn't mean he'd continue to think that way. The white-haired man became easily bored. What wasn't to say that he'd take Shoichi for himself when he reached that stage again? Even with the thought of Mini Mosca going with Shoichi was a problem. Spanner understood that Shoichi had offered it for both their peace of mind, but Mini would be just as effective against Byakuran as they were if the other man decided to get serious. And what wasn't to say that it was Byakuran's plan to make Shoichi come to his apartment with Mini Mosca? Maybe he wanted that to happen so that he could sabotage the robot the day before the competition, and thus, force Shoichi to attend the video game competition instead, because neither of them would be able to enter the robotics competition with a defective robot?

"I know…" Spanner finally uttered out in a despondent tone, still unable to meet his beloved's eyes. "That's the only reason why I'm letting you go without a fight, Shoichi. I know that you don't want to be a man that breaks promises, and I know how good this product could look on your resume."

With that, the young mechanic got up, forcing Shoichi to move to the side in order for the blonde teen to move. With his back facing Shoichi, Spanner headed into the kitchenette and started brewing up some tea in silence. Depressed couldn't even begin to describe his attitude.

"I don't mind if you bring Mini Mosca…" The British teen finally mentioned as he placed the tea pot on the stove to brew. In actuality, he did mind, because he didn't want Byakuran to get the upper hand on him if sabotaging his robot was his objective, but he couldn't deny Shoichi one of the few forms of protection he had at his disposal.

Refusing to look at the other in fear that he'd change his mind and make Shoichi stay, Spanner just stood before the brewing teapot, his body bowed over it as he placed both of his hands on either side of the stove.

"So…" Spanner murmured slowly, swallowing thickly afterwards as he prepared to ask the question that was burning in the back of his mind. "…are you heading over tonight?"

* * *

The fact that even his trump card was so ineffective in reassuring Spanner was unexpected. If anything, the mechanic seemed even more depressed. Shoichi wanted to stroke and kiss him and reassure him that Byakuran could never have his love, but he was forced off his lover and could do nothing but watch the other's back.

What more was he to say? He had shared his thoughts and arguments on the matter, but none of them seemed to work on Spanner. Shoichi would never be as carefree around Byakuran as he had been, but he felt confident about his deliberations.

The red-head had planned on a cozy evening to show Spanner his love, but now he changed his mind. As the other one did not even look at him and barely talked, it wouldn't be too comfortable and cozy anyway, would it? Maybe if he went to Byakuran tonight and returned safe and sound, maybe then Spanner would be reassured and feel better.

"Yes, I will. The sooner we start, the sooner we'll be done. There isn't too much time left anyway."

Shoichi got ready soon afterward and left with Mini Mosca. Though he felt a bit uneasy at first at being back in Byakuran's apartment, the little robot's presence reassured him, and the easy going attitude of the other man helped, too. Byakuran really made an effort to put him at ease by not touching him, and laughing good naturedly when Mini Mosca uttered some angry beeps to warn him off as he leaned closer to show the other programmer something on the screen.

Once more, Shoichi had to realize how well he could work with Byakuran. They both typed away at their keyboards in a speed the human eye had trouble to keep track of. Still, Shoichi left at ten, which was way earlier than he had before the incident. He hoped to still spend some time cuddling with his love. Since he didn't have yoga class the following day, he arranged with Byakuran to start work right after classes, which left the evening free for him to definitely spend with his love.

Before they reentered the apartment, Shoichi knelt down before Mini Mosca, stroking the little robot's dome in a caring manner, "You did good tonight, Mini. You're my little hero."

With a series of beeps that somehow managed to sound pretty proud, the robot threw his chest out, managing to make himself seem a bit taller at the praise.

"Now wish Mommy good luck that Daddy's mood has lightened, hm?" He said softly, almost to himself.

Still, Mini felt like the words where meant for him. "Good luck, Mommy!" The letters on the screen read as he made a thumbs up sign with his hands.

Smiling at the sentiment and sighing softly, Shoichi got up and entered their home, followed by the little robot.

"I'm back."

* * *

Hearing the confirmation in his love's words, Spanner sighed sadly to himself. It didn't take long after that for Shoichi to get ready and leave with Mini Mosca in tow, effectively shutting the door and leaving Spanner to his lonesome. Shoichi must have been a little irritated with him. He hadn't even tried to give him a kiss goodbye…

The whistling of the tea kettle surprised Spanner out of his thoughts, and almost made the taller teen fall back onto his butt from the shock. Quickly righting himself, he took the kettle off the burner and poured himself a cup of tea. Staring at the empty apartment that awaited him, the British teen wondered on what to do with his time. Since they no longer had a TV because of the water damage, he could just go to his room and watch something on the internet, but he didn't want to lose track of time and miss Shoichi coming back.

Placing his mug of tea on the coffee table, Spanner just went to his room and grabbed his homework. After that, the restless mechanic tried to do his homework and study, but no matter what he did, he couldn't concentrate. Just knowing that Shoichi was sitting in Byakuran's apartment at the moment was too much for him.

The rest of the night, Spanner switched between trying to do his homework, and pacing. He couldn't calm himself down enough to concentrate, or to eat for that matter, as worst case scenarios played around inside his head. There were so many instances where he found his hand on the doorknob, his body more than ready to head over to Byakuran's apartment to make sure everything was alright, but Spanner always stopped himself in time and berated himself for acting crazy.

That didn't stop him from imagining the horrors that might be happening at the white-haired man's apartment, though, despite his best intentions to think reasonably. It got to the point that he was lying face down on the cushions in the living room, his hair messed up and going in every direction possible from all the times he had rubbed his hands through it in worry. Spanner was becoming a total wreck. As he lay there, all he could think about was how Mini Mosca could be destroyed and Shoichi could be in the process of being taken advantage of while he lay there like a useless piece of trash!

When the front door opened a moment later, and he heard his beloved's voice, Spanner's head immediately shot up from the cushions, his eyes shining with life again as he took in the form of Shoichi and Mini Mosca in the entryway, both looking unscathed.

Almost disbelievingly, Spanner jumped up from the cushions and made his way over to the two.

"Shoichi…you're alright?" The British teen questioned hesitantly as he eyed his beloved up and down, looking for any wounds or bite marks that weren't his.

It was then that he heard a whir of beeping. When he glanced down, Spanner saw Mini Mosca moving up to him, and sticking his chest out proudly.

"I protected Mommy the whole time!" The little robot texted across his dialogue screen.

Spanner blinked a couple of times before his look of uncertainty turned into a small smile. Kneeling down, the blonde mechanic placed a hand upon his little robot's head.

"That's my boy," Spanner murmured affectionately as Mini Mosca beeped happily from the praise.

As the little robot moved into the living room and started cleaning up the mess Spanner had left during his few hours of restlessness, the teen in question turned to face Shoichi again. He stared longingly at his beloved for a moment before he grabbed onto the other and brought Shoichi into a desperate hug.

"I was so worried," Spanner murmured as he buried his face into his lover's neck, never wanting to let the other go again. "I know I shouldn't have been, but I couldn't stop thinking of what could go wrong…I was afraid he'd hurt you again…"

Spanner had no idea how he was going to get through the next few days without Shoichi beside him and knowing he was with Byakuran, but he knew he had to suck it up. His actions were probably irritating Shoichi and making him feel guilty. Spanner knew he had to be stronger than this, but overcoming a fear took time. He just hoped that Shoichi understood that.

* * *

The mechanic rushed over to him, eying him intensely once the programmer had made his presence known.

"Yes, I'm okay. He behaved," he reassured Spanner, although his love was distracted by Mini Mosca then.

Shoichi smiled at their proud little kid. The smile deepened as relief flooded his system. Mini Mosca's behavior was finally able to lighten Spanner's mood. That made the programmer happy. He hated to see his love so depressed, and knowing he was partially at fault.

Finally, Spanner looked at him. The longing in the other's gaze tugged at Shoichi's heart. He found himself in a tight embrace; pressed against Spanner's body. His own arms encircled the other one, too. When his love whispered his fears against his skin, Shoichi just stroked his back comfortingly.

"Nothing happened. Everything is okay. Mini would have sent a distress signal again. He'll even contact you with an SMS over your cell, as I taught him how. I'm okay. I'm here now, safe and sound."

His voice was soft and reassuring. Tenderly, he kissed Spanner's neck. "I know it isn't easy for you, but you let me go. Thank you."

Putting one hand on Spanner's neck, he made the other one look at him. "I love you so much," he whispered before his lips softly touched their counterparts, his tongue licking the other's lips enticingly.

* * *

As Shoichi's words of reassurance reached him, Spanner was overcome with emotions again. How was it that Shoichi could make him feel more strongly than anything else in this world? Even when it came to robots or his grandfather, Spanner never reacted so emotionally; he had always been calm and composed. But now, it seemed everything his lover did, sent him careening into the valley of his suppressed emotions and brought them all out to the forefront; overwhelming him.

Shaking his head to clear his overemotional thoughts, Spanner just held Shoichi even tighter to him. He was glad for the extra programming the other did to ensure his own safety even more, and that happiness increased when he felt his beautiful programmer gently kiss his neck. Even though the touch was light, it sent pleasurable shivers down the British teen's spine. He needed more…

Looking at Shoichi again with warmth and desire shimmering in his baby blue eyes, he heard his companion's words of love and felt the other press up against his lips. Feeling the eager tongue on the other side, Spanner willingly opened his mouth and let Shoichi explore him. A low moan made its way up through his throat as his tongue battled desperately against his beloveds'.

When the two of them parted for air, Spanner stared hungrily down at the man he had come to love with all of his heart, his eyes burning with desire and possessiveness.

"Mini Mosca?" Spanner called out without taking his eyes away from Shoichi's beautiful emeralds, his voice deep and husky. When he heard an affirmative beep, he quickly continued, "Mommy and Daddy are going to be busy for the rest of the night, so don't stay up too late."

Spanner was too busy staring into his beloved's eyes to notice the one-armed salute the little robot sent him before he shut himself up in the mechanic's bedroom. Knowing that they were alone now, Spanner traced his fingers across Shoichi's lips, eying the rosy flesh with desperate need.

"I love you so much, Shoichi. So much…" Spanner choked out through the millions of emotions he was feeling in that moment. "Stay beside me tonight."

It wasn't a question, but a soft-spoken demand that Spanner portrayed by holding the other possessively against him. He planned on showing Shoichi how much he loved him again that night, and it seemed that his beloved was only too willing to comply.

That night, the both of them explored each other more thoroughly than they had ever done previously. Although they didn't go all the way, it had taken great will power for Spanner to not do so anyway. They still weren't quite ready for the next big step, but the young mechanic could tell they were very close to getting to that point. Maybe when Byakuran was completely out of the picture, and they both weren't so stressed out, maybe they could….

The young mechanic blushed heavily at the thought as he lay next to a sleeping Shoichi, who was curled against him. With Byakuran taking up Shoichi's time with him, Spanner knew he didn't want to rush the final step to complete their relationship. So after Shoichi was done with programming the game, Spanner thought about asking his beloved on what he would want to do then when they had more time to themselves. Even if his stamina still wasn't the greatest, the taller teen was willing to do anything his beloved wanted of him.

Smiling softly to himself, Spanner held Shoichi tightly against him and fell asleep.

During the next few days, Spanner and Shoichi continued with their physical training in the mornings and early afternoons, enjoying their time together. When the late afternoon would roll around, Shoichi would head off to Byakuran's apartment with Mini Mosca in order to work on their video game. Those nights, Spanner wouldn't get much done, because he'd be too worried as he waited for a distress call from his cell phone or computer. But, as soon as Shoichi and Mini arrived home, both of them in perfect condition, Spanner's fears would be put to rest for another night.

This routine repeated for most of the week until two days before the robotics competition, Shoichi asked Spanner to come and pick him up after his computer class so they could walk to the gym together. Usually, since their last classes were in different buildings on campus, they'd just meet each other at the gym because of the distance it would take to meet up, but Spanner didn't care about the change in pace. He had always wanted to walk to the gym with his lover, because they could pass through the park nearby in order to get to it.

Liking the idea of a little date before Shoichi's yoga class, Spanner headed to the computer lab building after his math class. He texted Shoichi that he was on his way, and that he'd meet him in front of his classroom. After receiving a confirmation text, Spanner entered the computer lab building ten minutes later, only to stop in his tracks. There, standing in the entryway and leaning up against the nearest wall, was Byakuran.

* * *

Looking at the slightly smaller, disheveled looking blonde mechanic, Byakuran really couldn't understand it. He was the better looking by far. Retaining some of the knowledge of the universes he had ruled, he was also the smarter by a long-shot, not even to mention the stronger one. He was the better man.

His superior grin lit up his face as he pushed off from the wall. He approached the other teen, looking him up and down, and making sure to let his eyes linger on the worn jeans and the slightly crumpled shirt.

"Spanner-kun! Hi! Haven't seen you in whi~le!" He greeted, like he had just met up with his best friend and not his rival. His face lit up in his trademark, closed-eye grin, as he even waved his hand.

"Only two more days to go! Are you nervous about the competition? Well, you shouldn't be, not with Sho-chan as a partner! You see, I'm _cock_-sure we'll win!" Again he grinned at his little word game and the effect it had on the mechanic.

Byakuran used this moment when Spanner was thrown off balance to lean in. "You had better make fucking sure you keep Sho-chan happy. If you can't, I will. I'll be watching you, Spanner-kun," he whispered in the mechanic's ear, all pretense at friendliness lost, and his voice dead-serious; even menacing.

When he leaned back again, he leaned his head to the side, grinning again in his usual way. "I'm wishing you two the best of luck, even though I'm sure you won't need it. I'll be watching out for you!"

With a wink and a wave, he was on his way, not even bothering to turn around anymore.

* * *

When that superior smirk crossed the white-haired teen's lips, Spanner felt a cold shiver of dread run down his spine. And when those cold, menacing eyes looked him up and down, finding his flaws, Spanner's self-consciousness only grew. Byakuran was better than him in every way, and yet, Shoichi had chosen him over the Marshmallow Freak. Spanner couldn't fathom why, and just based his luck on being child-hood friends with the other.

The worrying mechanic's thoughts were interrupted by the most overly-happy, overly-grating noise he had ever heard. Byakuran was greeting him like they were long lost friends.

With a look of pure disgust on his face, Spanner stood his ground as the white-haired teen made his way up to him. The British teen had to give himself some merit. At least he didn't look like a gay, psychotic clown with fairy wings. That was always a plus.

Any slightly superior thoughts he had about himself then, vanished as soon as he heard Byakuran's next words. _**Cock-sure**_? What the bloody hell was that supposed to mean?! What had this bastard done to Shoichi?! Had he made a move on him and was now boasting about it?!

Spanner questions were partially answered when Byakuran leaned way too close to him for comfort, and whispered his dead-serious threat into his ear. Stiffening at the words, fear consumed the young mechanic. He had been right all along. Byakuran might have accepted that Shoichi had chosen him instead, but he was still lying in wait, hoping for a chance to jump in and steal Shoichi away from him again.

Anger quickly consumed the blonde teen as his fists balled up against his sides. Shaking visibly in his rage, he noticed how Byakuran walked passed him then. Before he could stop himself, Spanner sent the other man a few words of his own.

"You'll be waiting forever then," Spanner spoke loud and clear, so that Byakuran could hear as he walked away. "In the last few weeks that we've been together, I've made Shoichi happier than you _**ever **_could during our time apart. I'm the only one that can make Shoichi _**truly**_ happy, and the same goes for me. If something was to ever happen to me, and you made a move on Shoichi, you'd just be sloppy seconds to partially fill the void."

After hissing out that last sentence, Spanner walked forward then without looking back; despite the uproarious laughter he heard from Byakuran behind him. He would never let Shoichi fall into Byakuran's hands ever again; he would make sure of that.

As the determined mechanic made his way down the hallways, he found Shoichi waiting outside the computer lab. Making his way up to the other teen, he could tell that Shoichi realized he was angry about something. It was something he couldn't really get rid of at the moment because the memory of Byakuran's threat was so fresh in his mind.

"Did Byakuran say anything weird to you today?" Were the first words out of Spanner's mouth as he approached Shoichi and placed one of his hands against the wall right next to the programmer's head. "Did he touch you?"

Spanner leaned over his lover in a possessive manner, but even though his eyes and voice were demanding, hints of underlying worry were evident in them as well. The young mechanic hated the idea of Byakuran putting something into Shoichi's head in order to drive the other away from him again.

"Did you tell him that I was meeting up with you after class today?"

* * *

When Spanner approached him, the programmer saw the bad mood the other one was in momentarily. Worry flooded him. He took his headphones off right before Spanner was leaning over him. His love had an aura of authority and power about him, and it made Shoichi's heart beat faster and shivers run down his spine.

"N-no, he didn't," he stuttered, unsure what Spanner was asking exactly. Some of Byakuran's jokes could be considered weird, but he was used to the other's humor. His eyes went wide then as he knew what Spanner was talking about. He shook his head vehemently. "No! No, he didn't!"

Shoichi saw the angry worry in his love's eyes. Reaching out, he softly touched Spanner's side, trying to calm the other one without being too obvious; there were still students passing by, with some looking at the two of them with interest.

"Well, yes, I did, just...just so that he wouldn't wait up." Since their relationship had mostly mended, Byakuran tended to accompany him part of the way from the computer class to his next course.

"Did something happen? D-Did you hear some weird things about me and him? I didn't do anything with him except schoolwork!" Shoichi looked at Spanner with uncertain, shimmering eyes. He was sure he had done nothing that gave Spanner any reason to be jealous or angry. The exact opposite was the case. He had done his best to do something that would make his love happy!

* * *

When he saw the worry and slight fear well up in Shoichi's beautiful emeralds, and heard his beloved start explaining himself in desperation, Spanner realized that his love thought he was angry with him. Taking a deep breath and reveling in the slight touch to his side Shoichi was providing him (even though the touch was light, it was still helpful), Spanner released his breath slowly, the young mechanic gathering his thoughts to try and explain himself a little better.

"I'm sorry, Shoichi. I'm not doubting your faithfulness to me, nor am I angry with you," Spanner muttered quietly, so that the students surrounding them wouldn't hear. "It's just that…Byakuran was waiting for me in the building's entryway."

Biting his lip, Spanner averted his eyes for a second. A part of him didn't want to say what Byakuran had told him, but he knew that Shoichi had every right to know as well, since he was partially involved.

"The bloody bastard was acting all happy to see me and coming off as my friend, and then, when he got closer he…" Spanner paused for a second and closed his eyes as his body began to shake in anger again. "…he threatened he'd take you away from me if I didn't make you happy. I was afraid he was plotting something, so that's why I started questioning you. I was afraid that the fears I have been feeling ever since you started meeting up with that maniac again were coming true."

Spanner bowed his head then, feeling ashamed of himself for his weak behavior. Byakuran was so much stronger than him in every way, and he showed no weaknesses. How could Shoichi honestly want him more than the other man when he was so pitiful?

* * *

After his frantic words, Spanner calmed down a bit. Shoichi felt relieved when he heard his love did not doubt him. But his concern welled up again upon hearing about the meeting. The soft touch to the mechanic's side became a soothing rub.

Spanner told him then on what Byakuran had said. He was trembling in fury. Shoichi wanted to wrap his arms around his love and hold him tight, but their surroundings didn't allow for that. Instead, he pinched Spanner in the side to make the other one look at him again, since he had hung his head.

He smiled softly, his eyes full of love. "We don't have to worry about anything in that case," he whispered. "You are making me more happy than I thought possible. I'm happy with you. Don't worry. He hasn't tried anything. He really seems to respect my decision, and I choose you, always."

Shoichi felt like kissing Spanner; felt like holding him tight and never letting go again.

"Let's go, Spanner. There is something I want to tell you and something I want to show you." He smiled again, and hoped that somehow his love could see the promise in his eyes. On their way through the park, they would have more privacy, so he could tell Spanner then.

* * *

Feeling a pinch to his side, Spanner quickly looked up at Shoichi again, wondering why his beloved had hurt him. But Spanner's concerns and worries were swept away as soon as he saw the love the other had for him shining in his emerald eyes.

"I said a similar thing to Byakuran, and he laughed," Spanner said with a soft smile as his own eyes shined with devotion for the other. He wanted nothing more than to hold Shoichi at the moment, to get lost in the other's eyes and kisses, but their current location deemed that they couldn't.

When Shoichi said he wanted to tell and show him something in the next instant, Spanner could only raise his eyebrows in question and follow after his love. There was a promising twinkle in Shoichi's eyes, and Spanner couldn't stop wondering on what the programmer had in store for him.

* * *

Somehow, the red-head could imagine Byakuran's laugh very well, and knew why it would upset his love. Still, he wanted to do his best to make Spanner forget. He was glad when Spanner just looked at him questioningly, but followed without further ado.

Officially, they had met up to head to the gym together, but Shoichi had a slight change in plans in store for his love, and he was pretty sure the other one would like his idea. Once they were in the park that was on the way, Shoichi concentrated more on their surroundings.

All of a sudden, he pulled Spanner behind a big tree with a front of bushes when the timing was right, and only a few people passed quite a ways ahead of them on another path. He wrapped his arms tightly around his love, and looked up into his baby-blue eyes.

"We're done. We've finished the very last touches to the game today in class. I'm all yours tonight." His eyes shone at these last words, and a soft blush dusted his cheeks. "What do you say...do we skip training and just head home?"

Shoichi looked at Spanner expectantly. He really couldn't believe the other one would say no to his proposal.

* * *

When the two of them entered the park, Spanner's urge to go on a little date before they hit the gym rose with each passing second. Despite this, though, he kept himself in check. Maybe that could come later after Shoichi was done telling him whatever it was he wanted to tell him.

To the mechanic's surprise, though, Shoichi abruptly grabbed his arm and drug him into a row of tall bushes next to a tree. Even though he made a grunt of surprise, Spanner remained quiet once he saw Shoichi glance around his surroundings, scanning the area for people. Once the coast was clear, his beloved threw his arms around him just like Spanner predicted he would. After all, why would Shoichi drag him into a covered area in the first place?

Accepting the hug wholeheartedly, Spanner wrapped his arms around his lover in return, loving the warmth that entered him from the other's body. When he heard the programmer's next words, though, the British teen couldn't stop staring at the other in surprise. Shoichi was done with the game?! Did that mean he wasn't going to visit with Byakuran unless it was definitely necessary (or hopefully never)!

Happiness overcame the blonde teen then as he listened to Shoichi's suggestion for them, and stared into the other's hopeful eyes. Shoichi looked so cute in that moment, with his eyes shining and the small blush dusting his cheeks.

"Bloody hell, Shoichi," Spanner whispered out in desire, "how do you expect me to refuse? Do you even have to ask?"

There was no question in his mind that he'd take spending the rest of his day with Shoichi over working out in a gym. Just the thought of going home to a warm bed and a warmer, naked body pressed against him turned Spanner on to no end. Of course, he had been a little turned on before by Shoichi's secretive behavior when the other had dragged him behind the bushes, too.

Bringing his body closer to Shoichi's then, Spanner pressed his growing erection into Shoichi's groin, and rubbed up against it slightly in need.

"This is my answer, love…" The British teen whispered out huskily then, his baby blue eyes boring into Shoichi's with intense yearning. "Whatever you desire, I'm willing to go through with anything you ask of me."

* * *

As his words sank in, the mechanic's face lit up. Shoichi loved the happy face Spanner was making, but he loved the desire growing in the other's eyes with every second even more.

"I...I hoped I didn't," he whispered back as he held onto his beloved mechanic, stroking lightly on the small of the other's back, his thumb suggestively moving underneath the hem of the shirt.

Spanner pressed the very hard evidence of how much he liked Shoichi's suggestion into the programmer's own groin. The red-head whimpered softly at the rubbing motion that was arousing him in return. But what turned him on even more was the deep desire in Spanner's heavenly eyes, and his low, husky, suggestive voice.

Shoichi's eyes shimmered as he swallowed. It was almost too much to keep looking into those light blue orbs. Still, he withstood the urge to hide and look away or close his eyes. "All I want is you, Spanner. I want you all over me. I...I want to be yours. _**All**_ yours." He trembled slightly, and blushed deeply at his own words. He hoped he wasn't too pushy, but it was what his heart and his body desired the most.

* * *

"A-All of you…?" Spanner stuttered out in surprise, his eyes widening at Shoichi's suggestion. In that moment, the young mechanic forgot how to breathe as he stared deeply into Shoichi's shy orbs. Shoichi…he wanted….

Spanner lost all train of thought as he grabbed one of Shoichi's hands and started dragging him in the direction of the apartment as fast as he could. All he could think about was Shoichi in that moment, and how he wanted the other; how he wanted to share all of himself with Shoichi as well.

Glancing back towards his beloved, Spanner quickly asked just to make sure he had heard correctly.

"Are you sure you want this, Shoichi?" Spanner questioned with hope in his eyes. All he could think was how he wanted the other to say, 'yes'.

* * *

When Spanner stuttered forth his questions and his eyes went so wide, the red-head became more uncertain. He had gone too far, hadn't he? His love had told him he only wanted to do it when he felt more physically fit, but Shoichi really didn't care too much about that. Spanner had managed to satisfy him from that first time they had touched. Why should that suddenly change?

He was torn from these thoughts when, abruptly, his hand was grabbed and he was dragged from their hiding place. For a second, he was really baffled as to what was going on.

Spanner turned around then, seemingly on second thought, and asked him if he was sure. First a smile bloomed on Shoichi's face, and then he started to laugh. It was pure happiness coming from the depth of his heart.

"Yes, yes I'm sure!"

The mechanic no longer had to drag him along. Shoichi picked up the pace and soon they were running home at a good speed.

* * *

When Shoichi laughed wholeheartedly at his question, Spanner didn't know what to think, but as soon as he heard the other's words, a huge grin spread across his face. Shoichi really wanted him! It didn't matter that Byakuran was stronger, and smarter, because Shoichi wanted him, and only him!

Before Spanner could say something in response to his lover's happiness, he saw Shoichi pick up his pace to run beside him.

Seeing this, he couldn't help but add, "I guess I'll be getting my run in after all," with a light chuckle. Spanner couldn't help but notice how free he felt then, running beside Shoichi with no care in the world, and with only the thought of making their bond grow all the more stronger when they reached home. He really hoped that the run didn't tire him out before he could satisfy the other…

Thankfully, the young mechanic was experiencing such an adrenaline rush that tired wasn't even part of his vocabulary by the time he and Shoichi arrived back at their apartment. As soon as the door closed behind them, Spanner was pushing Shoichi up against it and kissing him breathless. As he wove his tongue against Shoichi's in a passionate display of his desire, Spanner didn't notice how Mini Mosca came out to greet his parent's from the British teen's bedroom, only to bow his head in defeat (which was more like his whole upper body, because he didn't have a neck) upon seeing their current position, and head back into the room he came from. He guessed he wouldn't be spending his time with his parent's that night, either.

With his mind nowhere close to thinking of his loveable little robot, Spanner parted from his beloved programmer, the both of them gasping for breath after their heated kiss. Staring deeply into Shoichi's eyes, Spanner brought one of his hands up to gently caress the side of his love's cheek, while his other wrapped around Shoichi's waist and drew him closer against his body.

"I love you…" Spanner whispered out breathlessly, sensually, as his fingers trailed their way down Shoichi's face and down to his chest to rest over the other's heart, his eyes never leaving Shoichi's beautiful emerald orbs. "I'll always love you…"

* * *

The door had barely shut when the red-head found himself pushed up against it and hungry lips were pressed to his. Sighing deeply, he opened himself to greet Spanner's tongue with the same passion the other showed him.

Shoichi wrapped his arms around his strong lover's back and lovingly caressed his neck. Drawing in deep breaths when their passionate kiss finally ended, the programmer felt like he could drown in the deep love he saw in Spanner's eyes then. He leaned his cheek into the tender caress and moaned softly when he was drawn closer and, again, felt the mechanics hard member brush against him.

With the trailing hand, he moved his chin up a bit for easier passage to his throat. His breathing became erratic at the words and their deeply felt meaning. When the hand was over his heart, Shoichi put his own hand over Spanner's.

"And I'll always love you."

While he kept the one hand in his hold, his other played with the hair whorl that had always fascinated him.

"There is only you. There can only be you," he whispered softly, looking deeply into Spanner's eyes to make sure his love would see the honesty reflected in his. "I want to be yours, only yours." He hated to know that Byakuran once again had tried to play mind-tricks on his beloved mechanic, but he would do his best to put his love's mind at ease.

* * *

Feeling Shoichi place his hand over his on the other's heart, and whisper those same words back to him, sent Spanner over the edge in happiness. He had no idea what it would be like without Shoichi in his life, and he didn't want to imagine it. Whenever the thought occurred, Spanner knew there would be little reason to continue living, because his heart would die the same day Shoichi's did, if not literally, then figuratively.

Seeing the honesty in his beloved's gaze, and hearing his words of devotion, a pleasurable shiver ran down Spanner's spine then, while warmth spread throughout his body. He didn't know how it was possible to love someone so much, but Spanner did completely, and he was certain that feeling wouldn't stop until the day he died.

"And I yours," the British mechanic added to Shoichi's last words with complete sincerity as he leaned in for another kiss. When their lips touched, Spanner took his time sucking and nibbling on Shoichi's bottom lip, his tongue lapping and teasing the programmer's lips until he finally allowed himself to go into Shoichi's mouth and battle the other's hungry tongue. The noises of pleasure Shoichi made then practically made the blonde teen come undone.

Pulling away from the other, Spanner stared down at his beloved as he caught his breath from the heavy kiss.

"Tonight," Spanner started breathlessly, his baby blue eyes searching Shoichi's for final consent as he spoke about his plans for the other, "I want to make you feel amazing and beautiful in every way, Shoichi. I want to give you pleasure that you'll remember for years to come…"

Staring deeply into Shoichi's eyes then with all the desire and love in the world, Spanner finally asked, "Let me make love to you, Shoichi. Let me share all of myself with you and show you how much you truly mean to me."

Shoichi's final words of consent were all Spanner needed then. If the other was truly willing to go through with it, then there would be no going back. Spanner planned on loving the other more thoroughly than he ever had before, so there was a high chance that he wouldn't be able to stop once he started.

* * *

In all seriousness, Spanner answered him. Shoichi felt warmth flood him. It was all he had ever wanted; to be loved by the young man before him, and to be desired by him. Nothing could make him any happier than this.

Spanner leaned in then. His lips touched his, feather-light, brushing, and teasing. He nibbled and licked at the soft flesh until Shoichi whimpered and softly whined for a full kiss. When Spanner's tongue finally entered his mouth, the red-head was a quivering mess in the other's arms. Moaning and whimpering, he fought a lost battle for territory until all of his wet cavern belonged to the mechanic.

His hand had dropped from the other's hair to his shoulder just to hold himself upright, as his knees felt weak with the pleasure from their kiss. Spanner ended their kiss when they were finally out of breath. They couldn't take their eyes off each other as they tried to regain their breath.

Shoichi's eyes shimmered with happy tears as Spanner spoke. Heat flooded him at the pictures that came to mind at the promises. He squeezed the hand (which he still held), that was over his heart.

"There is nothing I could want more than this. You are everything to me, so I want to share myself with you, too. I want to be all yours," the programmer's voice shook slightly with the depth of the emotions he felt as he tried to convey them in his words.

* * *

"Shoichi…" Spanner let out emotionally after hearing his love's answer, his voice shaking with devotion as he brought the programmer into another kiss. Their kiss was deep and filled with desperation as Spanner's hands roamed over Shoichi's writhing body. Feeling his own knees becoming weak at their ministrations, Spanner quickly grabbed the back of Shoichi's upper leg and maneuvered it to wrap around his waist. Thankfully, Shoichi caught on quickly, and brought his other leg around the young mechanic's waist as well.

With both of his hands supporting his love's weight by holding onto Shoichi's butt (Spanner's fingers digging in possessively), the taller teen started moving them towards Shoichi's bedroom a few feet away, the two of them continuing to kiss with no signs of stopping.

After some difficulty in closing the bedroom door behind him, Spanner made his way over to the bed and disentangled his tongue from Shoichi's in order to see where he was going. Placing his love gently upon his bed, the British teen crawled on top of him soon afterward and straddled his beloved's waist. Sitting upright then, Spanner's eyes never left the beautiful emeralds of his lover's as he slipped his shirt off over his blonde head, and tossed it to the floor. Grabbing the hem of Shoichi's shirt after that, the young mechanic sent a pleading look the red-head's way.

"Please, Shoichi, let me see you…"

* * *

Spanner rasped his name in that husky voice that always turned the red-head on, but before he could answer anything, his mouth was once again sealed. All he could do was moan and press into his love, showing how much he wanted this, and how much he enjoyed the strong hands on his body.

When his leg was grabbed and lifted, it took only a second for Shoichi to know what Spanner had in mind. His arms wrapped around his love's neck, and his legs did the same around the waist. He whimpered as Spanner possessively took hold of his butt while carrying him into his room.

Even while he was panting to regain his breath, Shoichi whined softly as their kiss ended, but Spanner just laid him gently on the bed. He reached out his hands, missing the warmth of the other's body immediately. He didn't have to wait, though. Spanner was over him in seconds, straddling him and removing his shirt.

Shoichi moaned at the sight he never would grow tired off. As he reached out to touch the bare skin, though, the mechanic was already onto his own shirt. Smiling, the programmer nodded.

"Always." He lifted his upper body and helped Spanner remove his own shirt.

Lying back down, he softly stroked his love's abdomen, feeling how the muscles had become more accentuated because of the continuous training.

* * *

After Shoichi's shirt was tossed to the side, Spanner witnessed his beloved lay back down and bring his hands forward to gently stroke the muscles around his stomach. The British mechanic shuddered at the light touches, and the admiration gleaming in his beloved's eyes.

Wanting nothing more than to touch the other in every way, Spanner brought one of his hands forward and placed it against Shoichi's bare chest, his thumb coming out to rub gentle circles around the other's nipple.

"I'd thought we'd start off with something we haven't done in a while, Shoichi" the taller teen purred out in a low hum as he stopped his ministrations to stare intently at the young programmer. "How about you flip onto your stomach so I can give you a massage?"

The pleased smile on the blonde teen's face grew as he watched how quick Shoichi was to listen to his suggestion. Giving out another low hum of approval, the mechanic started the massaging process at Shoichi's shoulders, tracing his fingers over the contours of his lover's skin and muscles until he found a tense spot. There, he would dig his fingers in and massage gentle circles into it; taking his time to give every inch of Shoichi's back adequate attention.

* * *

Biting his lower lip, the red-head hissed as Spanner gently teased his nipple. He pushed out his chest to beg for more, until his love came up with an unexpected suggestion. A massage? Now? He didn't dwell long on it, though. He just loved Spanner's massages, and remembering that last time made him blush a little still.

He only took off his glasses and put them on the nightstand before he followed the suggestion and flipped onto his stomach. It didn't take long before Shoichi moaned under the relaxing ministrations. He hadn't realized how tense he was, but with a natural talent, Spanner found all the knots in his back and kneaded them out.

"Hmmm, Spanner...so good...feels so much better," he moaned, writhing under his love.

The firm but gentle rubs and touches had served to make Shoichi hard. This time, though, he wasn't too embarrassed about it. This was only the beginning, and they both knew where it would lead, so it was okay, he thought. With his aching arousal, he couldn't quite keep himself from trying to get some friction from the mattress underneath, though, as he writhed in the pleasure Spanner was giving him.

"You are soooo good...hmmm, love it," Shoichi purred between more moans.

* * *

The air was filled with the delicious moans and sighs of his beloved, and Spanner was beginning to find it hard to concentrate. He could always feel a deep throbbing in his erection every time a noise would leave Shoichi's person. Hoping that he could distract his thoughts with something else, Spanner licked a long, wet trail up Shoichi's spine before the young mechanic ended his action with a possessive growl as he pressed his clothed erection against Shoichi's rear end to try and make the other stop rubbing up against the mattress beneath him. From what he could remember, he was the one that was supposed to give Shoichi pleasure, not a bloody mattress!

Almost unable to believe that he was becoming jealous of an inanimate object, Spanner pressed his hand into Shoichi's side and guided him in turning himself over until he was on his back. When Shoichi's green eyes were staring up into his again, the young mechanic couldn't stop the suggestive smirk that made its way onto his face.

"Now it's time to massage your front, Shoichi," the British teen whispered out huskily as he licked his lips. Bringing his hands forward, Spanner started his massaging process over again at Shoichi's shoulders and slowly traveled down his lover's upper body. The blonde teen spent extra time at Shoichi's sides and nipples, because he knew how sensitive they were. He would rub and tweak the hardened buds in both of his fingers, massage Shoichi's chest with the palm of his hands, and then repeat the process over again until he got bored and moved down to the rest of Shoichi's wonderful body. He spent some extra time at the other's hips before his fingers started playing with the hem of Shoichi's jeans.

* * *

The wet, hot tongue of his love slowly moved along his spine, making the programmer whimper softly. While the following growl sent shivers along said spine, a deep moan escaped the red-head as Spanner pressed his hard flesh against his butt. They were both still fully clothed down there, but it was still incredibly arousing, and he couldn't help but wonder how it would feel later.

Silently gesturing, his love made him turn around then. As he finally looked into his lover's face again, Shoichi saw a smirk that he knew too well. It promised pleasure to him, which the following words only affirmed.

While only his shoulders were massaged, he continued to keep it together, but once Spanner concentrated on his sensitive nipples, whimpers and moans once again poured forth from his lips as he arched his back and presented himself shamelessly.

Shoichi clawed at the sheets whenever his love played along his sides. It sometimes tickled, making him want to laugh, but moments later it was just super erotic. He found himself trying to lift his hips more often then, hoping to entice Spanner to rub up against him once more.

When he finally felt the other's fingers playing at his jeans's waistband, he guided the mechanic's hand to his fly with his hand. "Pleeeeease, Spanner...set me free...it hurts," he begged with slightly glazed eyes. He had wanted to present himself a bit more sexily in black boxer-briefs, but they were just damn tight by now, and making him regret his decision.

* * *

Loving the moans he was eliciting from Shoichi's beautifully rosy lips, Spanner was surprised when the moans stopped to be replaced by a plead for freedom. Finding his hands being placed on Shoichi's fly, the British teen couldn't say no. In fact, he was so eager for the other that he could barely get the other's pants off fast enough for his liking.

When he saw Shoichi laying before him in the tightest, and hottest pair of black boxer-briefs he'd ever seen, Spanner couldn't help but gawk and mutter, "I can see why," as he brought a hand up to caress the straining bulge.

Taking pity on his beloved, the young mechanic was quick to relieve him of his pain by slipping off the other's boxer-briefs and tossing them to the floor with the rest of the clothes. Now Shoichi lay bare before him, his erection straining towards the ceiling. The sight was enough for Spanner to feel how restrained he was in that moment, too. So, grabbing Shoichi's hands, the blonde teen placed them upon his waist and made sure his lover's fingers went below the hem.

"It's your turn now, Shoichi…" The taller teen whispered out huskily as he eyed the teen below him with hunger. "Strip me like you did the first time we touched each other…"

Feeling his beloved set to work on him now, constant shivers ran down Spanner's spine at the light touches, and as the air started hitting his freed skin. As he remembered the massage he had just given Shoichi, and the straining erection he had against his tight boxers, Spanner couldn't help but reminisce.

"You know? I never told you this, but…the first person to ever make me feel true attraction was you, Shoichi." Spanner whispered out meaningfully as he watched the other strip him. "It's normal for boys to get hard at random intervals, even if they aren't thinking of anything in particular, and those were the only times I experienced getting hard. But, at the beginning of this semester when I gave you that massage…"

It was here that Shoichi released him from his restraining boxers. Now on full display before the other, Spanner pressed his pulsating length against Shoichi's, a slight hiss leaving his lips at the heated touch.

"…this happened…" Spanner continued then through a strained groan. "You were the first and only person who was able to turn me on in my entire life. I was so dense to have not realized my feelings for you then."

* * *

As his jeans were opened, a bit of the pressure was taken away, and Shoichi sighed already as he lifted his butt to help his lover get the offending fabric off. At least his slight pain was worth it, he realized, when Spanner looked at his caged package with unrestrained desire and stroked him.

"Nnngh," Shoichi bit his lower lip at the pleasure of the caress and the slight pain because of the uncomfortable tightness. Still he couldn't help himself, and strained to press himself into the hand.

A deeply relieved sigh escaped the red-head when the boxer-briefs were finally gone, too. Even under Spanner's hungry gaze, he didn't feel awkward or embarrassed anymore. His love liked the way he looked, and that knowledge gave him some self-confidence.

When Spanner took his hands then and asked him to reciprocate, Shoichi looked into the other's baby-blue eyes. "With pleasure." Since that first time, the mechanic usually just made short work of it and took off his own things, while he was at it with the programmer's.

Shoichi wove in small touches and caresses as he opened the pants and pushed them slowly down over Spanner's butt. Fascinated, he listened to his beloved mechanic's explanation. Just like his love wanted, he used his feet again to pull the pants off all the way and did the same with the boxers.

"Aaah!" Shoichi arched under Spanner at the erotic touch of their heated members. "I...I had no idea at the time," the red-head admitted. He looked deep into the other one's eyes as his arm wrapped around him and his other hand played with the hair whorl. "Your massage had me so worked up, I couldn't think straight at the time. It was the first time someone's touches had me in that state. I...Do you remember me heading for the bathroom? I...I had to...you know...?" Shoichi couldn't quite bring himself to spell it out in the end, but he was sure Spanner understood what he admitted to, especially with the heavy blush that lit up his face right then.

For a second, he closed his eyes to calm himself a bit. When he opened his eyes again, they shined with love once more. "I feel so honored by your words. I am so happy that we are here, together, and that you want me, that...that you love me; it's all I ever wanted. I want to keep being the only one to really turn you on, just like you're the only one that can make me come undone at your touches alone. Tonight I want you to do more, though. I want to be all yours, forever."

* * *

Hearing his beloved's own account of that day Spanner had massaged him, the young mechanic couldn't help but be turned on all the more.

"No…I don't remember you heading to the bathroom," the British teen admitted with complete awe and slight guilt. "I was so freaked out by my own reaction that I couldn't focus on anything else."

But, knowing that his lover had gotten himself off because of how he touched him, turned Spanner on to no end, and made his member tremble with need.

Before Spanner could fulfill his desires, though, he witnessed Shoichi closing his eyes for a few seconds before he opened them again. It was then that Spanner was staring down into mesmerizing, emerald pools, and hearing Shoichi pour his heart out to him again. Spanner was so overcome with happiness in that moment that he could barely speak.

"S-Shoichi…" the blonde teen choked out as he stared lovingly down at the man below him. Unable to say anything more, though, Spanner expressed how much the other's words meant to him by swooping down and taking Shoichi's lips with his own. The next few moments were a desperate frenzy of bodies and tongues as Spanner poured everything he had into that single kiss, his tongue exploring Shoichi's mouth again with renewed vigor as he occasionally rubbed his groin against his beloveds'. The feeling was beyond amazing, and the moans and cries of pleasure he would get from Shoichi sent pleasurable vibrations through his tongue and down the rest of his body, filling it with warmth.

When they parted for breath, Spanner felt the haze of lust overcome him as he looked at the ravished man below him. He wanted to make Shoichi come even more undone. With that thought in mind, the blonde mechanic started kissing hot trails down Shoichi's body, stopping at his lover's nipples to lick and suck on them for a bit before he continued down until he got to the programmer's heated length. Staring at the appendage with fascination, Spanner brought one of his hands down to gently caress the sides of the pulsating organ.

"It's always amazed me how much this looks like a cherry sucker," Spanner admitted as he brushed a thumb over the length's head. He had a plan in mind for what he was about to do next, and he hoped that Shoichi would like it. In truth, he had gone down on the other for the first time a couple of days ago, but he had been hesitant and uncertain then. Now, he was more than ready to give his beloved as much pleasure as his body could hold.

"The only thing that's different and better about this, though," Spanner continued with a sexy growl as he brought his face down towards Shoichi's erection, his eyes never leaving the programmer's, "is that yours has cream filling."

And with that, Spanner's tongue came out to lick eagerly across the other's slit, hoping for the taste of pre-cum.

* * *

His confession and wishes had obvious effects on his love. The deeply emotional tone in which his name was spoken made warmth run all through Shoichi's body. Spanner claimed his lips again then. The programmer leaned his head back, granting the other easy and deep access. After a few seconds of getting thoroughly ravished, he was a moaning, quivering mess, which only became worse when Spanner rubbed himself against him. Their heated members brushed and touched, eliciting ecstatic screams from the red-head that were drowned in their wild kiss.

Shoichi's gaze was hazy with lust when their lips parted. He tried to catch his breath as he looked up at his love, but Spanner didn't leave him time to rest for a moment. His hot tongue and soft lips caressed his skin, making him stretch, arch, and moan.

He buried his hands in Spanner's unruly blonde hair as his nipples were gently tortured. Soft whimpers escaped Shoichi as electric impulses were sent straight to his groin, which was exactly where his lover went moments later. The red-head shivered in anticipation, opening his legs wide for Spanner to settle between them comfortably. His hands had dropped to his sides, so he wouldn't hurt his love in his ecstasy.

He bit his lower lip as Spanner gently caressed him. They looked at each other then as the mechanic spoke. Shoichi couldn't help himself and moaned at the words and the soft brushing of his sensitive tip. Again, he moaned then at his lover's growl and his scandalously sexy words.

"Spanner!" He almost screamed his love's name then as the tongue swiped his head. Shoichi barely stopped himself from thrusting upwards in need. Instead, he clawed at the sheets. He could feel himself shed thick drops of desire just by looking at the beautifully decadent image of his lover licking him. "Spanner...Spanner...you're...you're driving me crazy," he whimpered between moans. It felt incredible, and he just knew he couldn't bear it for too long.

* * *

If Spanner wasn't so focused on tasting Shoichi, he probably would have come undone by the noises the other was making alone. Hearing his name screamed like that sent the mechanic's sexual desire into overdrive, but with patience that hardly any human being possessed, Spanner continued his ministrations, and licked at the pre-cum that was now starting to dribble from his lover's tip. The British teen lapped it up hungrily, loving the salty, yet sweet flavor.

When he heard Shoichi's words between his erotic moans, Spanner could only smirk at the other as he stopped his ministrations; his lips barely touching the heated skin of the other's erection in a teasing manner.

"Well, I guess I better step up my game," Spanner purred out in a sultry manner, his hot breath ghosting over Shoichi's member before he kissed the underside tenderly. "I want to taste all of you Shoichi…"

Spanner sent a pointed look his beloved's way then, making sure the other saw him and took his next words seriously.

"…every last drop."

And with that, Spanner engulfed Shoichi's erect member with his mouth, and went as far as he could go without choking. Placing his hands on the older man's hips to keep him down, Spanner started bobbing his head up and down the other's shaft in a rhythmic fashion as he sucked hard and, occasionally, wrapped his tongue around the appendage. It amazed him just how every part of Shoichi tasted delicious to him. Of course, he hadn't tasted every area of the older man's body, but with the time they had on their hands, Spanner planned on accomplishing that task someday.

* * *

The programmer watched his love lap up the pearly fluid and groaned. He still couldn't believe how sexy it was, even though he would have thought it disgusting a mere week ago. When Spanner wanted to get down on him for the first time, he had even tried to stop him. But damn! He was lucky Spanner was so dominant and stubborn. It felt absolutely incredible!

Shoichi whined as his lover's tongue left him then, only the lips barely touching him. His body trembled as he restrained himself from thrusting upwards in need again. He shivered with the hot breath as his only stimulation for the moment.

"Oh, God! Spanner..." Shoichi felt his eyes burn at the intensity of the gaze they shared. Spanner's words alone almost undid him then and there!

He watched as his love sucked in his throbbing, needy member and whimpered. It was just too much. He had to close his eyes! The feelings seemed only to intensify then. Deep moans soon turned to long drawn whimpers as Spanner greedily sucked on his flesh. Shoichi just couldn't bear it too long. It felt just too good.

"Spanner...I...I..." He tried to warn his love, despite the other's words. The mechanic's answer, though, was a last, desperate suck that finally undid Shoichi completely. "Spanner!" He screamed the other's name as the pent up tension released and he filled his lover's mouth with his seed. It was incredibly sexy and was unbelievably intimate to feel his love swallow around him then.

* * *

The young mechanic knew that he was close to fulfilling his desire when he heard Shoichi trying to warn him through his cries of pleasure. Spanner didn't pay any heed, though, and continued sucking on his lover's member like his life depended on it. It was only a moment later that Shoichi screamed Spanner's name at the top of his lungs, and the British teen's mouth was filled with his lover's seed.

Expecting the reaction, Spanner started swallowing the semen as best as he could; some of it spilling out past his lips from the shear amount. When he was sure Shoichi was done, Spanner removed his mouth from the other's now flaccid length and started licking up any residue he had missed from his lover's orgasm. After he completed that mission, the blonde teen's eyes met with Shoichi's emerald ones again, the both of them panting for breath from the excursion they both had gone through.

Licking his lips to get the leftover taste of Shoichi's cum, Spanner crawled up his lover's body until he was face to face with the other again. Smiling happily and sweetly down onto his beloved, Spanner stroked Shoichi's hair and face with loving caresses.

"You really filled me up, you know," the British teen teased. "I might not need to eat dinner tonight."

Placing a short, yet sweet kiss against Shoichi's lips, Spanner's attitude became sensual again as his other hand came down to gently massage one of the other's nipples.

"What do you want from me now, Shoichi? Do you want to continue with foreplay, or go onto the main act?" Spanner asked huskily as he pressed his still erect crotch into Shoichi's. "I'll willingly do anything you desire…"

* * *

Until the very last wave of his wonderful orgasm had passed through his body did the lips of his blonde lover caress him. Soft purrs escaped Shoichi's lips when the tongue licked him clean afterward. He looked at his love then. Untangling his hands from the sheets, he reached out to stroke Spanner's neck.

"That was incredible," he whispered, still panting.

He smiled back at his love, as the mechanic was over him again, leaning into the sweet caresses. When Spanner spoke, he blushed deeply. "You...You said you wanted every last drop," he pouted, pushing out his lower lip, but smiled again moments later after a soft, sweet kiss.

Arching slightly, Shoichi moaned once more as Spanner teased one of his nipples again. He lifted his hand to reciprocate the caress as he looked up into the other's baby-blue eyes at the question. He felt his passions rise again as the mechanic's hardness pressed into him.

Shoichi pulled up his leg then, wrapping it lightly around Spanner's so that they could feel each other more intensely then. Gently, he twirled the little nub his ministrations had turned hard. He could see and feel the desire his beloved mechanic felt for him, and it made him feel special.

"I want to feel you deep inside, my love. I want to be one with you."

His fingertips softly stroked along Spanner's front then, and down until they reached the hard member that eagerly pressed into his hand then. "You feel so eager...I don't want to make you wait much longer. I'm all relaxed now...it's the best and easiest moment to prepare me."

Shoichi only blushed a little at his forward words. Still stroking Spanner's hot flesh slowly, he reached out with his other hand for the drawer of his nightstand. With only a little fumbling, he pulled out the lube. Putting the tube down next to him, he gazed up at his love expectantly.

* * *

Feeling the programmer wrap one of his legs around his waist and press their groins closer together, Spanner gasped at the sudden movement, his desire for the other increasing with each passing second. Shoichi had also been massaging one of his nipples for a while as well, so that only increased his need for the other, too.

"_**Shoichi**__!_" The young mechanic hissed out a moment later when he felt his lover's hand move down to press into his erection. The feeling sent bolts of electricity up his spine, and made his member twitch in anticipation. When Shoichi's hand began to move slowly up and down his shaft, intense pleasure overcame the British teen to the point he barely heard Shoichi's next words. When the word 'prepare' reached him, the blonde teen felt a moment of confusion, but just passed it off and started thrusting slowly into Shoichi's hand, wanting more of the other's touch. But, all of a sudden, the delicious movements of the other's hand stopped, causing Spanner to open his eyes and stare at his expectant lover in confusion. Why was there a bottle of lube in his other hand?

The young mechanic could only blink stupidly at the scene before him, totally confused and wondering if he had missed something. Lube? What would he need lube for? And what preparation was Shoichi talking about? Did he mean he wanted more foreplay or something?

And then, like a sudden punch to the head, Spanner finally realized the major flaw to his plan. He had been so focused on becoming fit and pleasing Shoichi that he totally forgot to do research when it came to having sex with the other male. The idea of how to have sex with a girl was naturally ingrained into him, but he knew that having sex with a man was a bit different. For one, Shoichi didn't have female genitalia, so that only left the other's butt when it came to penetration, but that's all Spanner could figure out. There was preparation involved?! What the bloody hell?!

Spanner could only stare at his beloved in shock and horror at his epiphany then. How could he have forgotten to look into something as important as this?!

"I…I don't know how…" He choked out in disbelief before he averted his gaze in embarrassment and shame. "I-I can't believe I forgot to study up on this subject…I must have been so focused on getting fit…and so focused on pleasuring you immediately like you wanted that…I…I completely forgot I don't know how to have sex with a guy…"

The horrified teen bit his bottom lip then as he dug his fingers into the covers of the bed below him. His body began to shake in fear and anger at his stupidity. He was such a joke now! He wouldn't be surprised if Shoichi was angry and disappointed in him, and felt like Spanner had just led him on. Even if somehow his lover forgave him for this mishap, he had completely ruined the mood between them now. Would Shoichi even want to be one with him anymore? Would he see it as worthwhile after Spanner had just showed him how incompetent he was in comparison to Byakuran? Would…Would Shoichi leave him here?

Spanner could feel water build up behind his eyes then. He had ruined everything! He had ruined the chance to completely share himself with his love; to bond the other to him forever!

* * *

When Shoichi saw the look of confusion cross Spanner's face, he wondered for a moment if it had to do with the fact that he had planned ahead and bought the lube. Or was it the wrong kind? He blushed a little then. While he looked on, Spanner's confusion seemed to grow even deeper and then he seemed to have a realization.

The stretching silence between them finally broke with words Shoichi hadn't expected at all. His love's confession sent a wave of anger through him.

"_You don't know? What the hell? Going about this the wrong way could actually hurt me badly"_, he thought enraged.

But before his anger could grow too deep, he heard Spanner's explanation. Seeing the true shock and guilt in his love's whole posture, Shoichi calmed down again. It was just so typical of the mechanic! He had a totally one-track-mind. Looking at the situation less emotionally, he knew Spanner really wouldn't have hurt him; he'd have stopped before that.

With a sigh, Shoichi put a hand against his lover's cheek and made the other look at him again. The baby-blue eyes shimmered with tears. "I can't believe you sometimes," he said smiling just a little bit. "How can you get so focused to forget about the basics?" His thumb stroked the cheek as he put his other arm around Spanner, pulling him in a little more to comfort him. "What would you do without me?" He wondered idly, thinking of a thinned out Spanner passing out from hunger over some project or another. That image finally drove it home to Shoichi. A guy that forgot to eat when he was lost in his work; how could he expect him to think ahead in this way?

Tenderly wiping his thumb over a wet eyelash, he made sure Spanner focused on him again and did not get lost in his darkened thoughts. "I _**am**_ a guy, so things are a little different. No matter how much you'll turn me on, I can't get wet. That's what the lube is for." Up until here the explanation was easy, and his love's mood kept him sober, but realizing he should explain a little more thoroughly, a blush crept onto his cheeks. "You need to spread it and...and go deeper with it. As...As the muscle is trained to be...you know...shut tightly, you need to...stretch it, or you'll hurt me. You should start with one finger and... and go up to three," he explained, glowing a nice pink by the end.

* * *

The British mechanic's fear-stricken mind was put slightly at ease when he felt a gentle hand place itself against his cheek. Looking up then at the touch, Spanner's watery eyes took in the sight of Shoichi's small smile. He looked a little exasperated with him, but Spanner was quick to notice there wasn't any malice or anger in the other's actions. The blonde teen's eyes widened in surprise at this. He had expected Shoichi to be hurt by his ignorance and get emotional to the point he'd run out on him again, but Shoichi looked like he was going to stay despite that.

Feeling so many emotions bombard him then, Spanner leaned into the hand that was caressing his cheek now, and basked in his lover's warmth when the other wrapped an arm around him and brought their bodies closer. Hearing his beloved's next words, Spanner had to close his eyes and fight back the image of being without Shoichi. The thought was too painful to think about.

"I…I honestly don't know what I'd do…" Spanner choked out, his voice raw with emotion. "I don't think my soul would be able to handle you being gone…"

He felt a thumb wipe away the stray tears that began to fall then. Composing himself and trying to forget the image of loneliness that plagued him, he listened to Shoichi's next words, nodding his head when the programmer mentioned how having sex with a guy was different than with a girl. That much he did understand, but when Shoichi went on to explain further about why they needed lube, it amazed Spanner on how he couldn't have figured that out. If he thought about everything logically, it made perfect sense. The British teen had to wonder where his common sense had gone.

"I…can't believe my ignorance could have almost hurt you," Spanner whispered out heavily with guilt as he bowed his head again. "After your explanation, everything makes so much sense now that I'm amazed I couldn't figure it out before. I'm so sorry, Shoichi. I'm _**really, truly, **_sorry."

Burying his face into his lover's neck then, Spanner just held the other close to him for a few minutes as he tried to compose himself again. Leaving light kisses against Shoichi's neck in apology, Spanner finally gathered himself and got up from his lover.

Supporting his body with only his knees as he disentangled himself from Shoichi, Spanner squirted a copious amount of the lube onto his fingers. There was no such thing as too much in this case, and the blonde mechanic wanted to make sure he didn't hurt his beloved. As he stared at his lubed-up fingers and then down towards Shoichi's entrance, though, another realization dawned on Spanner; one that he didn't like one bit.

"I'm going to hurt you no matter what, aren't I?" Spanner muttered out in disbelief as he stared into Shoichi's eyes. He wasn't sure if he could go through with what they were going to do if it meant hurting the other. He had hurt Shoichi emotionally so much already, did he really have to hurt him physically, too? Wouldn't he not be any better than Byakuran in that case?

* * *

At least Spanner seemed to understand his mistake, and he felt obviously pretty bad about it. First he hung his head, and then buried it against his neck. Shoichi held his love, softly stroking the other's neck in turn.

"I know you would have stopped if I had been in pain," he answered confidently then. He just smiled softly again when Spanner finally realized his own ditzy-ness.

Closing his eyes, Shoichi sighed and stretched his neck as sweet kisses were showered on his sensitive skin. He opened his eyes, though, when the warm body left him. He watched Spanner grab the lube then. So, this was it, now. Even though he felt a little apprehensive, Shoichi spread his thighs wide, giving his love easy access.

With his fingers slicked up, Spanner stopped in his tracks suddenly. When his love uttered his own apprehensive thoughts, Shoichi bit his lower lip. He nodded slightly. "Very likely," he admitted. "My yoga training might help, though. Being relaxed is important...But even more is that lube and...and that you take it slow?" He half asked, half pleaded. A bit of his own uncertainty and apprehension shone in his green eyes then. "It's supposed to hurt a bit in the beginning, but should get better soon after when the body gets used to it," he added a bit more hopeful then.

* * *

Nodding his head in understanding to Shoichi's words, Spanner's eyes quickly narrowed into determined slits after he heard his beloveds' plead.

"Of course I'll take it slow. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I caused you unnecessary pain."

Spanner wasn't too happy with the entirety of his love's answer that he had received, but judging by Shoichi's words, it was supposed to start feeling pleasurable after a while. Even with that, though, Shoichi didn't seem as certain as his words were trying to portray. In fact, Spanner could feel the same emotions that seemed to be reflected in the programmer's eyes; apprehension and uncertainty.

Knowing that both of them still wanted this, though, Spanner just tried to gather his courage and go through with the situation as best as he could, and hope that he wouldn't hurt Shoichi too much in the process.

"Okay…I'll put the first finger in," Spanner uttered in all seriousness as he positioned his finger outside his lover's entrance without touching the other. "Just tell me when you feel the most relaxed, okay, Shoichi? Find your center…and then I'll go slowly from there, okay?"

* * *

A relieved sigh left the programmer's lips at Spanner's promise. "Okay," he murmured. For a moment, they looked into each other's eyes then; both of them uncertain, but still willing to try.

Very abruptly, the mechanic just decided to go through with it, declaring he was ready. Shoichi's eyes widened at the suddenness. "Waaah, right now?" Of course he knew he was the one who had said he didn't want Spanner to have to wait any longer, but still! It suddenly felt so...clinical, with his love just sitting there and _**working**_ on him. "C-can you at least...stroke my thigh or something?" Shoichi asked then as he tried to find his center and relax. "I feel a bit like a piece of machinery on the worktable," he admitted. "_Not to mention pretty vulnerable as on display as I am right now_," he added only in his thoughts.

Shoichi closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths. When he opened them again, his gaze was focused and calm. He nodded. "Okay, now."

A second later, he hissed and arched as the wet fingertip touched him more intimately than any other person had before. He clawed at the sheets, though, when the finger pushed into him. It was uncomfortable and weird. He shut his eyes again, concentrating harder to calm himself. It helped, and he relaxed more; even the tense muscle of his lower half loosening a little as he concentrated very hard on it. Planting his feet on the mattress, he lifted his butt a little, invitingly, easing the passage of the finger into his tight channel, too.

* * *

Spanner was completely taken aback by how surprised Shoichi seemed to be about his sudden desire to go through with their intimacy. Hadn't the other wanted to do this, and not make him wait long? Given he wasn't as turned on as he was a few minutes ago because of the mini heart attack he practically had at his epiphany, but still, wasn't he supposed to dive into preparation after Shoichi had brought out the lube? Wasn't that the point of bringing it out in the first place?!

And then, just to confuse the mechanic more, Shoichi even went on to say how he was being insensitive and treating him like a piece of machinery at that moment. Spanner didn't understand what was going on anymore at all! It was natural to be nervous about your first time, right? This whole epiphany and gained knowledge of the preparation had completely thrown him off his mojo.

"S-Sorry," the young mechanic stuttered out meekly with a hint of irritation in his voice, "I just thought it would be hard for you to relax completely if I was touching you…"

It seemed no matter what he did, though, Spanner was going to end up making his lover feel uncomfortable. Could he exactly be blamed for that? Shoichi was going to be in pain with whatever he did anyway, and it was hard to act sexy for the other when he was uncertain and awkward about something he had never done before, and knew that what he was doing was hurting the other. He just wanted to make sure he was doing things correctly!

When his lover deemed he was ready then, Spanner placed his hand on Shoichi's hip as a form of support and pushed in the tip of his finger as gently as he could. Almost immediately, Shoichi hissed in pain, and Spanner practically jumped out of his skin in worry. Had his hurt and irritation with the other caused him to push in too hard, even though he thought he was doing it gently? Trying his best to push away the negative emotions he was feeling then, Spanner concentrated on going as slowly and as gently as possible, stopping after a few seconds of movement to help his beloved adjust to the feeling. The worry wouldn't stop pestering the British teen, though, as Shoichi hissed, arched his back, and even clutched at the bed sheets below them. It took away any slight pleasure Spanner might have felt in that moment. He knew it should have felt amazing with the tight heat that surrounded his skin then, but he was honestly too scared and worried to actually appreciate it.

Noticing that it was becoming a little easier to push his finger in, Spanner realized that Shoichi was beginning to relax a little more. With the less resistance, and a slight feeling of hope blossoming within his turning stomach, Spanner continued pushing little bits of his finger further into his lover's hot crevice at small intervals. Taking into account that it actually might be easier to distract his lover from the pain he might be feeling and increase his relaxation, Spanner took a chance and started massaging small circles into Shoichi's hips, hoping the action wouldn't do the opposite effect and make him tense up from the pleasure.

"I-Is that a little better?" Spanner asked hesitantly as he pushed his finger in a little more while he rubbed his beloved's thigh with his free hand. "Y-You don't feel like a piece of machinery anymore?"

Spanner winced at the hurt that had overtaken his voice then. He was coming off as so pathetic! How the bloody hell did he expect Shoichi to get turned on by his ministrations if he got so flustered by a little comment? He had to just man-up and try to feel a little more confident about his skills, despite how lost and uncertain he felt in that moment. There was nothing sexy about being uncertain!

…But then…if he got too confident with his skills, and too carried away with his lust…wouldn't there be a higher chance he'd really hurt Shoichi? Shoichi wanted to take things slow, right? He could be slow and sexy…he had done that before…but could he do it while feeling completely lost with what to do with himself? He had always had a game plan when he had done things with Shoichi, but now he was completely unsure of what to do next! How could he be sexy without knowing what to do next?! Bloody hell! Or maybe he was just overthinking everything now?!

Feeling completely and utterly confused and frustrated, Spanner just hung his head in shame, not sure on what to do next. He was still pushing his finger in as slowly as possible and massaging Shoichi's side, but what was he supposed to do afterwards?

* * *

Spanner's finger pushed in very slowly, giving him the chance to adjust to the intrusion. With his eyes closed in concentration, the red-head didn't feel quite as much on display as before. Still it was all pretty awkward at the moment, and he just wanted to get it over with.

A soft sigh came over his lips when Spanner finally touched him in another way. Before he could really enjoy it, though, his love spoke up with a hurt voice. This actually hurt Shoichi more in return than the finger could. Wasn't he allowed to say how he felt? Maybe this wasn't too easy on him, he got that, but what did Spanner think how this was for him?!

Shoichi bit his lip as he felt his concentration wane, and his body tense up again at his annoyance. This was just bad. He needed to relax, and he needed to regain his own desire. He tried looking at his beloved then, hoping the sight of his lover would help, but he sat with his head hung, obviously not too happy with the situation either.

This was all so horribly wrong! Shoichi racked his brain on how to change anything as the finger crept along agonizingly slow. He had an idea, but wasn't too sure if he could go through with it, or if he should. Spanner had taken his words the wrong way already. But the way things were now, wasn't good either.

Taking a chance, Shoichi put his hand on Spanner's then. Looking at the other's surprised expression, he pushed for the finger to finally bury itself completely inside him.

"Ngh." For the most part, it just felt weird, but it didn't really hurt, and it actually helped to have some control now.

Taking a deep breath, Shoichi guided Spanner's hand to retreat, lifting his butt a bit again as he pushed at the same time. "Hmmmm!" It didn't feel nearly as weird this time, but actually good. Closing his eyes, he again guided Spanner's hand and moaned when the finger was buried deep once more.

His ring finger gently nudged Spanner's then. "T-Try this one, too," he panted softly when he had guided the finger back out.

He opened his eyes to look into his lover's, hoping to find that spark again.

* * *

When he felt Shoichi's inner muscles tense around him again, a wave of fear crashed over Spanner in that moment. Was he doing something wrong again?! Shoichi hadn't even answered his question before, so maybe he actually was making the other feel like an emotionless robot.

Spanner stopped in his ministrations then, his body shaking visibly in anger towards himself and hurt. What the bloody hell was he supposed to do now?! Everything was going so horribly wrong for their first time that Spanner wouldn't be surprised if Shoichi forced him out and didn't want to try this with him ever again! Why, _**why**_ did he forget to study up on this subject beforehand?! This was all his fault!

Feeling absolutely worthless then, the young mechanic's heart clenched painfully, but that was until he actually felt his lover's hand on the one with his lubed fingers. Staring up at Shoichi in surprise and fear, Spanner waited for the other to forcibly remove his hand and throw him out of the room in disgust, but, to his complete surprise, Shoichi forced his hand to move forward and bring his middle finger deeper inside himself in one, swift move; burying his finger up to the hilt.

"Shoichi!" Spanner shouted in worry as he heard the slightly pained grunt the other made. "Don't force this on yourself if it's hurting you!"

But Shoichi didn't listen to his words and continued to guide his finger in and out of him, his cries of pain soon turning into moans. Did…Did his actions actually begin to make his lover feel good?! Was this what he was supposed to do?

Amazed by this turn of events, Spanner watched in fascination then as Shoichi's eyes met his, and the other indicated to put his ring finger in next. Shoichi was breathing a bit heavily from the excursion, and he could see the other's willingness to continue, despite how horribly things had been going so far. Feeling a spark of warmth in his gut from his lover giving him another chance, and feeling a little more hopeful that he could still make things right, Spanner nodded his head in understanding.

"D-Do I just do the same thing with two of the fingers as I did with the one, or do I do something different with them?" Spanner questioned easily with a look of renewed determination on his face. He had a slightly better idea of what was expected of him now, and he was beginning to come up with some ideas on what to do next, but he just wanted to make sure he was doing things the way Shoichi wanted him to.

* * *

The programmer's wish came true. Spanner lost his depressive air and a touch of confidence came back to him. Shoichi saw that spark he had been hoping for.

At the direct question the mechanic asked of him then, he blushed a bit. "Well...once they're all the way...inside, you should spread them...scissor like, you know? To...like...stretch me...for that third finger," he explained haltingly.

It was a bit embarrassing to say it out like that, but he wanted to make sure Spanner knew what to do, so he wouldn't be at a loss on what to do again.

Shoichi looked into his lover's eyes again. Seeing the returned determination persuaded the red-head that Spanner was back. Hoping to convey his love and trust with his eyes, Shoichi slowly took his hand away.

"Do it," he whispered then, trying to relax and remember the good feeling he had just a moment ago.

* * *

An amused smile made its way onto Spanner's face at how embarrassed and flustered Shoichi was by his question. The other looked so adorable right now, but it was also sexy in a way. When his beloved's eyes met his again, and he saw the love and trust burning inside them, Spanner's own passion for the other burned brightly in return. He would pleasure Shoichi and make up for his weaknesses.

Nodding at his lover's whispered command, Spanner gently began the process over again, but with two fingers this time. When the tips of the two appendages entered, a small shiver ran down the mechanic's spine at the warmth that enveloped him and the twitching of his beloved's inner muscle. He had been too afraid of his actions the first time to thoroughly appreciate the feeling, but now he reveled in it, and wondered how it would feel when he was truly inside the other.

"You're so warm, Shoichi," Spanner whispered out huskily as he lovingly placed kisses along Shoichi's inner thigh, his free hand stroking up and down his beloved's side. "I'm sorry I couldn't appreciate it earlier…"

Spanner continued to slowly push his two fingers into his lover's tight crevice, feeling the other's inner walls twitch and suck his fingers in deeper, despite the slight resistance.

"You're absolutely amazing…" The British teen continued in breathless astonishment as he continued to push himself inside the other while he brought his free hand down to fondle Shoichi's hardening length.

As he rubbed up and down his lover's shaft in slow, rhythmic strokes, his thumb occasionally caressing the head as he pushed his fingers in even further, Spanner's baby blue eyes glanced up towards Shoichi in apology; hoping the other could hear him through the pleasure and pain he might have been feeling.

"I'm sorry for my weaknesses, Shoichi," Spanner's voice thickened with the emotions he felt then. "Because of me, I almost ruined this moment between us. All I wanted was for this moment to be perfect for us, so that you wouldn't second guess or doubt yourself for making the right choice in picking me in the end over Byakuran."

It was then that Spanner gave the last push and fully sheathed his fingers into Shoichi. Pausing for a few moments to let his lover adjust to the intrusion, Spanner let go of Shoichi's member in favor of massaging deep, yet small, circles into his lover's side instead.

"It seems that no matter how much you tell me that you want me instead, or how much I truly believe that you love me over him, this fear of losing you will never go away," Spanner continued, deep sincerity in his voice. "Everything was going so good between us until I started screwing so many things up. I felt like I was failing you, and only hurting you, so I feared that you wouldn't see this moment as worth it in the end. I feared that…if I didn't make you happy from this…Byakuran would be able to tell and he'd try to worm his way inside your heart again and steal you away from me…"

Kissing the other's stomach softly, Spanner started to slowly do the scissoring motions Shoichi had asked him to do.

"But, I won't let that happen…" The blonde teen growled out in determination, his baby blue eyes narrowing in concentration as he began to move his fingers in and out of the other while scissoring occasionally. "I'm going to give you my all, and pleasure you the best that I can, Shoichi. Byakuran might be better than me in many ways, but what he feels for you is nothing to how I feel. When it comes to loving you for everything you are, I've got him beat."

And with that said, Spanner thrust in his fingers a little deeper this time, curled his fingers instead of scissoring them, and accidentally brushed up against a small bundle of nerves.

* * *

Shoichi bit his lower lip again as the two fingers wormed their way inside. There was a slight burning, but Spanner moved slowly, and a few deep breaths helped him to adjust. His yoga training really came in handy for this.

Spanner whispered to him in his sexy voice then, and small shivers ran down the red-head's spine, but even better were the sweet kisses to his thigh and the soft stroking. This was how Shoichi had hoped it would be.

"Hmm...Spanner...Spanner..." he moaned softly, whispering the name of his lover again and again.

The sweet caresses helped take his mind off any uncomfortable feelings the pushing fingers created, and it got even better, when the other touched his reawakening flesh. Moaning more deeply, Shoichi lifted his hips to push himself into Spanner's hand, making the passage of the fingers into him easier again.

Between his concentration on keeping his body relaxed, and the good feelings his lover created, Shoichi had a hard time listening to what Spanner said at first. When he understood it was more than just sweet talk, though, he concentrated on the words. He felt a stab of pain at hearing what the other told him, but before he could say anything, the finger pushed in that last bit, making him arch and pant.

As he tried to adjust to the full intrusion of the two fingers inside, Spanner rubbed the sensitive spots at his side, soon eliciting a moan.

"Don't...Don't think that way, Spanner...it is perfect...right now...I'll never doubt my choice! I love you!" Even though he was still panting and answering haltingly in the beginning, his last words were firm and full of determination.

"He won't...he can't..." Shoichi tried to convince his love that, no matter what Byakuran might try in the future, Spanner owned his heart, and nothing could change that. Only the other started to scissor his fingers deep inside him then, which made it difficult for the programmer to answer at all. The weirdness of the feeling, and his concentration on relaxing, made it all but impossible to string the words together to answer.

Spanner growled; the sound turning Shoichi on to no end. As the fingers now moved again, in and out, it started to feel good once more. His love's promise filled the red-head's heart. It made him endlessly happy to finally hear that self-confidence again in Spanner. Before he could say anything, though, the fingers inside him suddenly curled and hit his sweet spot.

Shoichi's body arched as he screamed out in ecstasy and clawed at the sheets. "_**Oh my God!" **_ He thought at the incredible feeling running through his body. He had read about the good feelings that were supposed to come from stimulating the prostate this way, but with all that he had to dump on Spanner anyway, he hadn't wanted to pressure him into trying to find some uncertain spot somewhere inside of him, too. This happening practically by accident might be for the best anyway.

His body flopped down onto the mattress again as he panted to catch his breath once more. His eyes slightly hazy from the lust and ecstasy, he still tried to focus on Spanner's baby-blue ones.

"He...He could never make me...feel this way...I...I only love you...I would never let anyone else... do this to me willingly...I only want you...and I...I want you bad...so bad..." Shoichi panted. Face flushed, he looked at his love pleadingly. "Can...Can you try that again?" He bit his lip at being so forward, but it just had felt so incredible that he yearned for more.

* * *

Baby blue eyes widened in complete surprise as he saw Shoichi arch his back, and heard the other scream in pure ecstasy at his last movement. Not sure on what exactly happened, the blonde mechanic just blinked in a dumbfounded fashion as he stared as his lover's writhing form, completely turned on by the display, and his erection beginning to drip pre-cum.

A shudder of pleasure washed over him then as he saw Shoichi lay back down on the bed and start panting out his answers to his previous confession. The British teen could feel his throat constrict, and his heartbeat quicken at the words he heard; warmth spreading throughout his body along with a pleasurable shiver.

"I want you, too," Spanner murmured meaningfully, his voice full of need. When he heard Shoichi's next request, though, Spanner was almost taken aback, and not sure if he could replicate what he had just done by accident. But, even though he wasn't sure, he would try for Shoichi. If it made the other feel that good, then he would do everything in his power to make it happen again.

"Of course," the taller teen uttered huskily as he kissed the inside of his beloved's thigh again. "Of course I will, Shoichi. Just give me a moment."

With that, Spanner closed his eyes and tried to remember what he had just done. He believed that he had curled his fingers at the last second when he thrust them hard into Shoichi, and he also thought that his fingers arched at about a 40 degree angle.

Testing his idea, Spanner decided to go slow first. As he pushed the two digits in, he arched his fingers at the last second at the angle he believed was right. Sure enough, his fingers barely brushed a small bundle of nerves that felt different from the rest of Shochi's inner walls. Hearing a small cry from Shoichi confirmed his suspicions.

Knowing he was doing it right now, Spanner brought the fingers out and pushed them back in slowly at a steady pace, his thrusts increasing in tempo the more he did it as he arched his fingers at the end of each thrust, hitting the bundle of nerves every time.

* * *

Another shiver ran over Shoichi's body when Spanner told him he wanted him, too. It was an incredibly powerful feeling to be desired by the man he loved.

His inner thigh was kissed again as his love agreed to try to hit that certain spot once more. Anticipation made the red-head's body tremble. When Spanner carefully tried to reproduce the effect he had had on him, his fingertips brushed that bundle of nerves just slightly, still making Shoichi cry out softly. It felt so damn good!

With more confidence on what he was supposed to do, his lover's movements became steadier; more rhythmic. The second stroke hit dead-on, making Shoichi arch and cry out fully again. He had never felt anything like it, and didn't dare to think about how it might feel once Spanner didn't use his fingers anymore.

Clawing at the sheets, the programmer writhed in ecstasy with each hit of his prostate. Shocks of lightning shot through his veins, setting his body afire. He was getting close, so close. His member was leaking pre-cum. He should tell Spanner to stop or it would be too late.

"Spanner...Span~ner...I...I caaan't...Aaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

Shoichi never got the words out. With another deep stroke, he arched and came hard as his whole body shook in the tremors of orgasm. His stomach and chest splashed with small puddles, and he sank back onto the mattress, panting his lover's name again and again.

* * *

Shoichi's cries of ecstasy turned Spanner on to no end. With every noise the other made, and with every arch of the other's back, Spanner couldn't tear his eyes away from the mesmerizing display.

As the young mechanic continued to thrust his fingers deep inside his lover, Spanner could feel his whole body tremble with intense desire, and his erection twitch with so much need that the blonde teen didn't know if he could take anymore of Shoichi's cries. He hadn't been able to find release since they had started their romantic night together, so it wasn't too hard to see how Spanner was coming closer to being unable to keep himself in control.

And, sure enough, when Shoichi gave a last cry and came, his walls constricting deliciously around Spanner's fingers, it was all the British teen could take. Shouting out his lover's name, Spanner came at the sight of his ravished Shoichi, his orgasm shaking his whole body and sending his semen splashing onto his and Shoichi's stomachs.

Panting heavily, Spanner retracted his fingers from Shoichi's entrance and glanced up towards his beloved. He hadn't been able to keep his cool until he had entered Shoichi like he had planned. Would he even have enough energy to get hard again?

"I-I'm sorry, Shoichi," Spanner panted out huskily as he stared deeply into his lover's hazy, post-orgasm gaze. "Y-You were so sexy…I wasn't able to control myself…"

* * *

As he hit the mattress, the red-head felt even more warm liquid splash him. Hazy eyed, he looked at his love and realized Spanner had come, too. He hadn't even touched him!

The fingers left him then, and Shoichi whimpered softly at the loss. Their eyes met as his love apologized for his own release, the explanation sending incredible warmth through Shoichi's body. He disregarded the semen splashes totally as he just reacted to Spanner's words from the heart.

Sitting up, he threw his arms around his lover and kissed him passionately. Staying close to the other's lips, he looked into the blonde teen's baby-blue eyes. "You couldn't have made me any happier...I feel...honored that you think I'm so...sexy." He blushed a little, and smiled. "Don't feel sorry. No matter what happens. It was just...incredible."

Stroking Spanner's neck, Shoichi softly licked at the other's lips. "I can't tell you how much I love you," he whispered against the wet skin, before he sucked at the warm flesh and gently nibbled at it.

* * *

To Spanner's complete surprise, Shoichi disregarded everything from how tired he was after his orgasm to the messes on their stomachs as he sat up and flung his arms around Spanner, their lips mashing together passionately. The British teen's eyes widened exponentially at the action, but soon, he was closing them and kissing back. He didn't care how messy they were at the moment, in fact, he hadn't cared to begin with, he just loved the feeling of warmth that spread throughout him when he pressed his lips and his body back against Shochi's.

When the kiss ended, Spanner's half-lidded gaze met Shoichi's again as his lover spoke to him. Shivers ran down the taller teen's spine at feeling his beloved's breath against his lips, and at the words that left the other. Spanner wanted nothing more than to have all of Shoichi then; even though he was slightly tired.

"Shoichi," Spanner answered thickly with emotion as his baby-blue eyes shimmered with love for the smaller man before him. "I'm glad I could make you feel so good…I truly am..."

A playful smirk made its way onto his face then as his eyes danced with affection.

"You should know by now, though, that I think you're sexy. You're the only person who has been able to turn me on, remember?"

His beloved's reply was nothing more than a gentle sucking and nibbling of his lower lip, but Spanner took it in an instant, loving every second of the attention. Shoichi's hands were caressing the back of his neck as well, making the blonde teen hum softly.

With his hands on Shoichi's back then, Spanner started kneading small circles just above the programmer's butt, a sexy growl leaving his lips in that moment.

"I don't want the night to be over yet, Shoichi," Spanner uttered under his breath in a husky manner, his eyes burning heatedly for the other as he pressed their groins together suggestively. "I need more of you…"

* * *

The way Spanner returned the kiss made Shoichi hopeful. He would have understood if his love would have been too tired to carry on, but by the sexy caresses at his lower back and the words following that, he was reassured his love was ready for another go.

"I don't want this night to be over yet, either. I want to feel you...inside of me," Shoichi whispered back with the same intensity.

Gently pulling at Spanner's neck, he silently asked for the other to lay down. "You've made me feel so incredibly good, my love," the red-head murmured against Spanner's lips as he straddled him this time. "Let me...Let me try and make it up to you." Shoichi blushed as he half asked his beloved for permission.

He kissed the other slow and deep then, tasting all of Spanner's mouth as he pressed his body against his love's and moved slightly against it. His tongue traced the outline of the other's jaw next, moving down to the throat to play over his love's Adam's apple. He then softly sucked at the sensitive spot at the crook of Spanner's neck.

Shoichi slowly moved lower, kissing the other's chest. When he reached the first wet spot, he hesitated only for a second. Even though Spanner had gone down on him before, he had yet to reciprocate the action. He wasn't disgusted at the thought anymore, not since he knew how good it felt, but he hadn't gotten the chance to try to do it to Spanner yet.

He swiped the droplet of semen off with his tongue. A weird mixture of slight saltiness, rich sweetness, and a hint of cherry hit him. Everything about the mechanic was somehow connected to that sweet fruit. Shoichi searched out another spot and hummed softly at the rich taste again. This really wasn't bad at all, and he could only surmise how much more intense the taste would be coming from the source itself.

Still, he halted in his quest to lavish attention on Spanner's nipples first. Rubbing one gently with his fingers, he licked and sucked at the other. Carefully, he nibbled with his teeth on the straining, hardened nub then, while his fingers twirled the other one.

* * *

Hearing how Shoichi still wanted Spanner to join with him sent blood rushing straight to the young mechanic's groin. How could Shoichi not see how sexy he was when he talked like that? It was a major turn on!

Trying to hold back his whimpers of need, Spanner then felt Shoichi's hand guiding him to lie down on the mattress. Obediently doing what his lover silently asked, Spanner's heart rate quickened when he felt and saw Shoichi straddle him afterwards; the programmer's words then asking for permission to make him feel good. How could Spanner refuse?!

"O-Of course!" The British teen let out in surprise, his body shaking with anticipation then as he wondered on what Shoichi had in store for him.

The awaiting mechanic was met with his lover's lips and a deep, probing kiss. Spanner shuddered and allowed his lover access, humming in satisfaction at feeling the other explore his mouth to the fullest. Of course, Spanner kissed back and enticed Shoichi into an erotic dance of tongues, but the red-head didn't keep up the action for too long.

A slight sigh of disappointment left the blonde teen then when Shoichi parted from him, but Spanner's slight frown turned into a pleasurable gasp the next moment. Before the young mechanic could comprehend the situation, he felt Shoichi's tongue everywhere, and his lover was sucking and kissing his skin. Spanner squirmed pleasurably under the intimate touches, mewling and moaning lightly at the feeling.

After his lover was done leaving a hickey on his neck, Spanner witnessed Shoichi travel down to his chest to leave a light kiss. The British teen wondered if Shoichi could feel the vibrations from his fast beating heart through his lips. It honestly felt like his heart was resonating throughout his whole body from the excitement he was feeling. How could Shoichi not feel or hear it?

Spanner's thoughts were interrupted the next minute, though, by an amazing sight. Shoichi bent down and lapped up a droplet of semen from off his torso. A light gasp of pleasure and a shudder emanated from the blonde mechanic then. He almost couldn't believe what he had just seen. Shoichi had been disgusted with the thought of a blow job in any sense, so to see his beloved willingly lick up the residue from their orgasms was beyond surprising. Did he actually like it?

The next moment answered Spanner's inner question, because Shoichi traveled down to another spot and licked it up with a hum of appreciation. Another shuddering wave swept throughout Spanner's body then, and his flaccid member started to come back to life at the sight. Bloody hell, that was so sexy!

Spanner wasn't done being pampered, though. In the next instant, Shoichi was lavishing his nipples in every way possible, and leaving Spanner a gasping and writhing mess as he arched into his lover's attentive mouth and fingers. The pleasure he was feeling was sending shockwaves and blood straight down to his groin, making the young mechanic moan lightly in ecstasy as he grasped onto his lover's shoulders.

"S-Shoichi…more…" Spanner gasped out between panting breaths, his body rubbing up against his lover and mixing the semen still covering both of their bodies.

When Shoichi stopped his ministrations and looked into his eyes then, the British teen stared heatedly back, his next words coming out as more of a husky demand than a request.

"Lick me dry…"

* * *

Under his loving ministrations, Spanner writhed in ecstasy. Hearing the low moans and soft growls, and knowing his actions could make his cool and contained love this animated, made Shoichi proud of himself.

When his beloved mechanic begged for more and his shoulders were grabbed, he looked up. He was about to ask what Spanner wanted him to do, but he didn't need to. In a low voiced, sexy command, he told him exactly what he wanted.

A soft moan escaped Shoichi then as a shiver ran down his spine. "Anything you want," he whispered, caught in the intense gaze of the blue eyes that burned like sapphires now.

Tearing his eyes off his love's face, he looked down on his body. Since they had rubbed their bodies together in their need for contact, there were patches of semen all over Spanner's chest and stomach. He swooped down on the first, licking at it and humming softly again.

Sucking with his lips first, he attacked the next spot before he licked again, moving along the British teen's body and repeating the action. Feeling his love writhe under him, and hearing him utter his low, sexy sounds, turned Shoichi on in return.

He licked at the last spot he could find, which was underneath Spanner's bellybutton. When he was done, he looked up at his love again. His heart was beating faster, and he blushed again at the thought of what he was about to do. "Almost done...only one part left to clean..." He said softly, his voice only wavering slightly.

Shoichi tried to put all his love into one last gaze before he lowered his head, carefully held Spanner's reawakened flesh up with his fingertips, and licked along the underside from base to tip. A deep moan escaped Shoichi's lips when he reached the head. Just like he had expected, Spanner's unique taste was way more intense here. Almost greedily, his tongue played over the tip, dipping into the small slit to get more of that incredibly sweet, cherry taste.

* * *

A shudder of excitement coursed through Spanner's body when he heard his lover moan in assent. He almost couldn't believe that Shoichi was still willing to do such things to his body that he had been squeamish about before, but the young mechanic wasn't complaining at all. Shoichi's tongue was like heaven.

Sure enough, it wasn't long after that thought that the older programmer was sucking and licking his way down Spanner's chest. The British teen moaned lowly and writhed under the pleasurable touch, his eyes closing in rapture despite how much he wanted to keep them open and burn Shoichi's sexy actions to his memory for years to come.

As he felt Shoichi's tongue descend lower and lower down his body, Spanner could feel his now full erection twitching in anticipation for what he hoped would come next. When his beloved red-head stated that there was one more place he had to clean, Spanner opened his eyes to stare hopefully into his lover's heated emerald gaze.

Truly wondering if Shoichi was willing to completely go through with his request, the blonde teen was surprised, yet truly delighted, when he felt Shoichi hold his aching member with his fingertips and bent down to lick him clean. When he felt his lover's tongue lick him straight from the base of his length to the tip, and then dip it into the slit, it took all of Spanner's willpower not to arch his hips upward and demand more attention from the other as he gasped out his beloved's name. Instead he fisted the sheets below him until his knuckles turned stark white, and wriggled his hips as pre-cum began to drip from his tip. When Shoichi started to lap hungrily at his flesh then, it was almost too much for the young mechanic to take.

"Stop, Shoichi! Stop!" The British teen cried out as he placed one of his arms over his eyes in embarrassment and panted heavily under the attention. "It's too much…I can't…"

Thankfully, Shoichi stopped his ministrations in time before Spanner lost control of himself. The younger teen just lay there, his body shaking with need for release as he tried to calm himself down with steadying breathes. It truly amazed him on just how sensitive he was to Shoichi's touches. It was probably due to the fact that he wasn't used to other's touching him too much; especially in this sense.

"That was so close…" Spanner whispered out after he had finally regained control of his body again, his arm still covering his eyes as he blushed at his next words. "I…I really thought I was going to cum so hard that I wouldn't be able to get back up again. I can't afford that…Not now…"

With his mind set on his next course of action, and his resolve gathered, Spanner sat up then and stared deeply into Shochi's emerald gaze as one of his hands came up to caress the side of his beloved's face. Leaning forward, Spanner seductively licked Shoichi's lips, his eyes never leaving the other's.

"Do you mind giving me a rain check to finish this at another time?" The blonde teen asked, his voice husky as his blue eyes burned brightly with desire. "You see, there's this other obligation I must attend to tonight, and I think in order to do that, we have to switch our positions."

And with a possessive growl, Spanner placed one hand behind Shoichi's head, and the other on the small of the programmer's back. Despite the forceful grab, Spanner gently guided the other until Shoichi was lying flat against the mattress and Spanner was hovering over him.

"I still need to finish preparing you, Shoichi," Spanner uttered low with lust-filled eyes as he pressed his leaking erection against his lover's inner thigh. "I don't think I can stand waiting any longer…I need you so badly, it hurts."

* * *

_So, this is where we decided to cut the lemon because of the sheer length of the chapter. To be continued in the next chapter, that is if you really, really want us to ;D So, go on, tell us!_


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N:** Hi there! So, here we are, eighth chapter, the next to last. We were very happy to see that more of you found it in themselves to review. Was it because of the lemon? ;D Well, here's the second part of that, so hopefully it'll get you all motivated to review once more, because you should or we will keep the end all to ourselves ^_^

Thanks to everyone who reviewed, we really appreciate it and also to anyone who faved and follows us.

Like I promised, here's the second part of our lemon and a Spanner who becomes a little too possessive for his own good. What happens is inspired by a fan drawing we found online. If anyone's interested, you can contact me by PM and I'll show it to you somehow ;D

And now enjoy ;D

**Warnings for this chapter:** More sexyness

* * *

**Chapter 8**

Shoichi moaned again as new drops gathered at the tip. Eagerly he licked at them, taking in the taste, but he was suddenly stopped. Afraid he had done something wrong, he looked up at Spanner. His lover didn't return his gaze, instead he had covered his eyes and was obviously very tense.

When Spanner tried to explain, the red-head understood. He hadn't done something wrong in that sense; he only had done a bit too...eagerly. A blush dusted his cheeks at the thought. Knowing the taste now, and loving the way Spanner enjoyed his attention, Shoichi would have no problem going through with this, but he also knew his lover feared he couldn't get up again.

His blush deepened when Spanner explained a little more. So, even though he had never done this before, he seemed to have done pretty good, Shoichi thought proudly. Spanner sat up then. They looked into each other's eyes. The air between them seemed to be crackling with sexual energy and need. The mechanic touched his cheek lovingly and licked over his lips, making Shoichi moan once more. "Spanner..." He whispered softly, his voice full of desire.

He swallowed thickly as his love asked for a rain check. "Yeah...of course...anytime," he nodded, only to bite his lip at the other's explanation. In a possessive and demanding way, he was gently but firmly laid down on the bed again; the low, sexy growl making him shiver in need.

Spanner's hard, leaking flesh pressed into his thigh then. His words had the red-head whimpering. Momentarily, Shoichi spread his legs even further apart to grant his love easy access. "Please...Please do it...I need you...need to feel you," he answered softly as he returned Spanner's gaze with all the desire he felt for the other.

* * *

As he stared deeply into emerald orbs filled with desire, and watched Shoichi spread his legs for him, it took everything in Spanner's willpower to not take his lover then and there. Shoichi's needy words weren't helping him either. The young mechanic knew he still had to prep the other with three fingers before he could continue, but the beautiful sight before him was almost too hard to resist.

With great restraint on his part, the British teen reached for the lube bottle that had been placed on the nightstand. He wanted to reapply some lubricant to his fingers because of how much had rubbed off onto Shoichi's skin from their previous actions. After that deed was done, and deeming his fingers perfect for penetration again, Spanner trailed the tips of his wet fingers down Shoichi's stomach, past his lover's inner thigh, and down until he reached the other's entrance; his middle finger circling the tight ring.

"Tell me when you're relaxed enough to continue," Spanner practically purred in anticipation as he halted in his previous actions to give Shoichi the time he needed to relax, while he placed his free hand on the other's hip once again. He wouldn't be surprised if three fingers hurt far worse than the first two, so Spanner knew he had to come up with a way to make it tolerable for his love.

* * *

Shivers ran over Shoichi's body when he felt the wet fingers glide ever lower until they reached their destination. As one of them circled his entrance, he whimpered softly, feeling his muscle twitch in anticipation.

Spanner allowed him the time to relax, once more. The programmer closed his eyes again before taking in a few deep breaths and concentrating on relaxing his body.

Opening his eyes, he nodded, "Do it."

This time, the finger slid more easily into him; the feeling not that weird anymore. Since he now knew how good it could feel, Shoichi lifted his hips, welcoming the second finger with a moan. As they began to stretch him, the feeling wasn't too good, but he knew he had to get through the next part to finally become one with his love.

Shoichi took another deep breath to actively relax himself, and looked at Spanner then. "Try the third...Try it now."

When all three fingertips pushed into him, it wasn't sexy, it burned like a bitch at first!

"Nnnngh!" As much as Spanner's restraining hand allowed for it, his body arched up. "Slow...please...slow," he whimpered between labored pants and tried to adjust to the new, larger intrusion into his body.

* * *

When Shoichi nodded his head and gave him his assent, Spanner started with pushing only one of his fingers into his lover's entrance. When Shoichi showed no signs of pain, Spanner easily slipped his second finger in; Shoichi moaning with need as he lifted his hips at the action.

Shuddering in anticipation at the sight, the young mechanic started scissoring his lover's entrance again to make sure it was still prepped for his third finger. When his beloved red-head asked him for the third, Spanner was a little hesitant, but obliged to his love's request.

Sure enough, just as he had feared earlier, the moment he started pushing in his third digit, Shoichi let out a strained cry. With his face contorting in pain, he heard the programmer beg him to go slower. Nodding his head grimly, Spanner kissed Shoichi's side in apology as he slowed down his third finger to an agonizing pace. In truth, the British teen hated that he was hurting his beloved, but he knew he could make his lover feel better again soon.

With that thought in mind, Spanner set his next plan into motion as Shoichi adjusted to his slowly pushing finger. Wanting to distract his lover from the pain as much as he could, Spanner got to work licking, and sucking on Shoichi's hips in a suggestive manner, his tongue eventually trailing down to his lover's inner thighs. Sucking the sensitive flesh there, the blonde teen's tongue started licking hot trails at the junction between Shoichi's legs and crotch as his free hand rubbed up and down his lover's leg.

Feeling his third finger was half-way in now, Spanner switched up his technic and started licking Shoichi's reawakening member, kissing and suckling gentle on the sides as his free hand started massaging soothing circles into the programmer's inner thigh with his thumb.

"You know…I've always wanted…to lick every inch of your skin…to see if you tasted just as sweet as your kisses," Spanner whispered out huskily between little kisses of his own as he started heading down Shoichi's length to his sac. "I have to say…that so far…your sweetness has exceeded my expectations."

And with that, the mechanic's tongue lapped hesitantly at the sac below Shoichi's length, taking in the flavor. Humming with interest, Spanner pushed his third finger in even more, the digit almost fully sheathed now, as he gently took one of the sac's orbs into his mouth to suckle.

* * *

Immediately after he had begged, the fingers slowed down, giving Shoichi the chance to try to adjust to the new intrusion. Sweet kisses to his sensitive side were followed by soft sucking and licking. Slowly, these actions started to help take his mind off the pain. Strained whimpers were interjected with soft moans as the tongue reached his inner thighs.

Shoichi spread his legs even further then. His moans came more steady with every lick and suck in these sensitive areas. The pushing fingers still stretched him very uncomfortably, but the good feelings Spanner gave him outweighed them.

A pleasurable hiss escaped him when his length was licked. The red-head had clawed at the sheets in pain before, now it was done in an attempt to restrain himself from lifting his hips greedily and overwhelming his lover. The words the other spoke then, instantly made Shoichi blush a dark crimson.

"Spanner..." he moaned his love's name as his sack was licked. Just a moment later, his moan turned into a surprised cry. "Spanner, what are you...? Ah!"

Shoichi had never felt anything like it. He had never even thought about something like this, but it felt incredibly hot! So much so that his body arched up in ecstatic need.

His love used this opportunity to push the fingers in that last missing bit. Clawing the sheets until his knuckles turned white, and panting heavily against the mixture of pleasure and pain, Shoichi lay with his eyes squeezed tightly shut. He did his best to relax again. When he thought he was ready, he swallowed hard.

"M-move them," he whispered thickly.

* * *

Spanner was taken by complete surprise when Shoichi arched his body after he had taken the other into his mouth, but he quickly took the opportunity to push the rest of his three fingers into his lover's crevice. As Shoichi lay back down from the pain he must have felt then, the young mechanic freed his mouth from his lover's sac and panted heavily from the excitement and surprise he had felt just then.

Staring into his beloved's eyes a moment later, Spanner waited for the young programmer to calm himself. When Shoichi gave him the signal to go ahead, the British teen did as he was asked. Pulling his three digits almost all the way out, Spanner pushed them back in slowly, taking his time to make sure Shoichi was adjusting accordingly. Every once in a while, he'd arch his fingers inside the other and brush against the special bundle of nerves his lover had.

When Spanner felt that Shoichi was adjusting better with his fingers, he picked up the pace a bit, and continued to occasionally hit his beloved's good spot with every couple of thrusts. He had to make sure he didn't go too overboard, or else he'd make Shoichi come again.

"Just tell me when you're ready, Shoichi," Spanner breathed out then after another thrust of his fingers, his baby blues glancing up to look at his lover's pleasured face. "Tell me when you want me…"

* * *

The pain had subsided, but Shoichi still felt very strained and stretched as the fingers moved inside of him. At least Spanner was going slow, and making it easier for him to adjust.

It was the hitting of his sweet spot that made everything okay again. Shoichi arched and moaned deeply once more as electric shocks were sent throughout his body. With the intensity of the pleasure he felt, he didn't care about any uncomfortableness he might feel anymore.

The fingers picked up their pace and Shoichi moved his hips to meet them, arching his body when that spot was hit. As he heard his love's low and husky voice, he finally opened his eyes. They were glazed with desire.

"I want you...I've always wanted you," he panted softly. "Take me...please..." The red-head knew he was sounding like a wanton little whore, but it was the way he felt, and he had the feeling Spanner liked to hear him talk like that.

* * *

Hearing his lover moan in desire and meet his thrusts with eagerness was practically sending Spanner over the edge. He wanted to be with Shoichi so much, it truly was beginning to hurt!

When those wanton words finally reached his ears, Shoichi begging him to take everything he had left, it didn't even take Spanner a minute to take his fingers out of Shoichi, grab the bottle of lube, spread a copious amount on his aching length, and position himself at his lover's entrance.

The eager Brit paused there, though. This was the moment that both of them had been waiting for. Would Spanner be able to pleasure Shoichi like the other wanted him too? His member wasn't dexterous like his fingers, so could he actually find Shoichi's sweet spot again?

As the worried mechanic's eyes met Shoichi's expectant ones, and saw the nervousness and love held within them, Spanner's fears subsided then to be replaced with passion. Shoichi was just as nervous as he was, but just as eager to feel complete.

"I'll go slow again, Shoichi," Spanner murmured sweetly to his lover as he caressed Shoichi's face. "I expect this will be a little stressful for you again, but I'll make you feel good in the end. I promise."

After those words, Spanner took his length in hand and guided the tip of it into Shoichi's entrance. Almost immediately the tip of his member was overwhelmed by an intense heat and constricting muscles. He was only inside Shoichi a little bit, and the feeling was beyond what he expected.

It was Shoichi's strained noises that broke Spanner out of his pleasured thoughts the next moment, though. Even though he hated to hear that noise, the British teen was thankful that Shoichi's noises had helped him to focus on the situation at hand and not on the pleasure he was taking from it. Spanner knew that if he focused too much on the pleasure, he wouldn't be able to last long in his condition.

Wanting to distract his lover from the new found pain he was probably in, Spanner placed one of his hands on his beloved's hips as a lever to help him guide himself in. As the mechanic started to push himself further into his lover's tight heat at the slowest pace he could manage, Spanner's other hand came up to play with one of Shoichi's nipples; his forefinger and thumb rubbing the peaked bud and twisting it as his lips left soft kisses around his lover's chest and neck.

"Relax, love," Spanner whispered out between kisses as he pushed himself in further. "It will be over soon."

* * *

As soon as his words had left Shoichi's mouth, the mechanic's fingers left him. A soft whimper escaped him then, as he felt an unknown emptiness. Spanner used some more of the gel on himself, before he felt the big, hard tip nudge his entrance.

This was the moment he had been waiting for. He wanted this. Shoichi felt a pang of anxiety and nervousness, but as he saw that same nervousness reflected in his lover's baby blue eyes, he somehow felt reassured. This was something new and special for both of them.

The red-head managed a small smile as he nodded in answer. "I trust you," he murmured back.

A moment later Shoichi groaned and clawed at the sheets again, as the tip of Spanner's length breached his entrance. He felt like he was stretched to his limit and it burned. Shoichi had secretly admired how well endowed his lover was, but right now he wasn't too sure anymore he really liked it. Biting his lower lip, he tried to distract himself with the self-inflicted, controllable pain from the one he had less control over.

Spanner grabbed his hips then and played with one of his nipples. A soft moan mixed with the still strained noises. Soft, sweet kisses were planted on his skin, as the big, hard length pushed into him further. Shoichi concentrated on the caresses and on the low, husky voice. Even though it hurt a bit, he wanted this. He was almost one with the man he loved.

Disregarding the uncomfortableness, he lifted his leg. As he opened himself even wider, he made it easier for Spanner. His leg wrapped around the other then. With another groan, he pulled his love in the last few inches. Panting against the pain, he flung his arms around the mechanic holding him tight.

"Love you...I love you...so much...Spanner," Shoichi murmured, breathing heavily and trying to adjust to the big, hard shaft that still stretched him pretty uncomfortable.

* * *

Feeling his lover lift his leg then, Spanner realized how much easier it became to push himself into the other. Grunting at the exertion he was placing on himself, he pushed himself in some more as he continued to massage Shochi's nipple and kiss his neck. When he felt the other wrap his leg around his hips, the young mechanic did not expect to feel the back of the other's leg push against him. To Spanner's awe, he felt Shoichi help in pulling him in the rest of the way, until he was fully sheathed in Shoichi's heat.

Speechless and amazed at the fact that he was buried up to his hilt in the other's tight warmth, Spanner was surprised yet again when Shoichi flung his arms around him the next moment and whispered his love for him continuously; despite how uncomfortable he probably felt.

Moved by his lover's feelings, Spanner hugged back and buried his face into Shoichi's beautiful auburn hair.

"I love you too…more than I can adequately describe," Spanner whispered out thickly as his eyes met with Shoichi's emerald; the blue orbs shaking with undying devotion and love for the man he was now connected too. "You feel so amazing, Shoichi. So warm…so perfect…."

As he practically moaned out those last words, Spanner bent down for a kiss, his lips meeting with Shoichi's gently. It wasn't long before that kiss became deep and passionate, the two of them exploring each other's mouths eagerly as they poured every emotion they felt for the other into it. Spanner knew that the moment they were sharing meant so much more than anything else they had experienced together before. They were finally connected together on Shoichi's bed, and their kiss was showing how much the moment meant to the both them. Spanner couldn't stop thinking about how it felt like two soul mates sharing an eternal kiss.

When the young mechanic parted from his lover, panting for breath, he stared deeply into Shoichi's emerald gaze. The image he was seeing before him in that moment was too beautiful for words. Shoichi looked absolutely breathtaking.

Spanner was certain then that he would never forget this night for as long as he lived.

"I'm going to make love to you now, Shoichi," Spanner murmured deeply; lovingly. "I'm going to show you just how much you mean to me…my soul mate…"

And, with one final peck against Shoichi's lips, Spanner gathered all his courage and pulled almost all the way out of his lover. Feeling the air on his hot, exposed flesh felt strange, but when he pushed it slowly back into Shoichi's tight crevice the next instant, it didn't feel strange at all; in fact, it felt amazing!

With his hands on his lover's hips as leverage, Spanner started a slow, steady tempo of thrusting then, grunting at the amazing friction his member encountered with every movement.

"_Shoichi_…" The British teen whispered out in pleasure as he tried to focus on finding his lover's good spot again, and not on the amazing feelings overtaking him. He could fully enjoy himself after he started making Shoichi feel amazing.

* * *

Spanner returned his feelings fully and that was all the programmer could ask for. When he looked into those baby-blue eyes, they were so full of love it was breath taking. A soft blush dusted his cheeks at the compliment.

Before he could say anything in return though, his lover kissed him tenderly. Their lips gently played with each other, touching, feeling, before Shoichi opened himself with a soft moan. As their tongues entangled in an intimate dance, both their passions rose again. After Spanner seemed satisfied with tasting him to the fullest, he just needed the same experience, moaning at the cherry taste he was fast becoming addicted to.

When they finally parted, they both were panting from lack of oxygen. Spanner looked him in the eyes, and Shoichi got lost in those blue skies taking him in. He would never tire of looking into those beautiful eyes. His hand came up to softly massage Spanner's neck, knowing the other liked it when he did that.

Shoichi swallowed at the deep and meaningful words. A wave of warm love rolled through him. "S-soulmate," was all he could answer, but he poured all the love he felt into that one word.

A soft whimper left the red-head then, as Spanner pulled back. There was a slight burning, but it was nothing compared to the feeling of loss. He wanted... he _**needed**_ to feel Spanner fill him, be so deeply connected to him! When the hard flesh slowly returned, he hummed in satisfaction.

With Spanner starting to move at a steady rhythm, the uncomfortable, stretching and burning feeling he had felt at first subsided, lost in the pleasure he was starting to feel. Soft moans escaped him at the exciting friction, the low, husky sounds his blonde lover was making.

"_Spanner..._" Shoichi whispered in answer, as he stroked Spanner's neck tenderly.

He could feel the mechanic move his hips differently with every thrust, then. The angle of penetration changed slightly, making Shoichi groan, when the tip hit the wall of his tight channel uncomfortably. He soon understood though, what Spanner tried to do.

The red-head untangled his leg from his lover and planted his feet firmly on the bed again. Moving his hips, he met the other's thrusts, trying to help control the angle.

"Hmm... ah... 20 degrees more right... aaah... almost... just... 10 degrees more upward..." Shoichi tried to guide Spanner to that place that had made him fly. And then the tip brushed it. The feeling was so much more intense than before. Arching under Spanner, Shoichi cried out in ecstasy, as electricity seemed to run through every nerve in his body, setting his body afire.

* * *

It seemed that no matter what he did, he just couldn't find that special spot again! Spanner started to panic a little, wondering what he would do if he actually couldn't find it. When he felt Shoichi unwrap his leg from around his hips, fear shot up the young mechanic's spine. He was sure Shoichi was moaning from his actions, and he had whispered his name so lovingly too, so Shoichi couldn't be fed up with him now, right?

Thankfully, his love was far from annoyed with him. It wasn't a second later that Spanner felt his beloved thrust back against him, sending delicious vibrations up his shaft from the extra friction.

A low moan escaped the British teen then at the feeling, but his moans only increased when Shoichi started helping him by giving him directions.

"B-Bloody hell, Shoichi," Spanner groaned out with some effort as he followed his lover's directions and continued to thrust. It had to be one of the sexiest things Shoichi had done all night. Just hearing the other's moans as he tried to speak through the pleasure they were both feeling was almost enough to make Spanner come, but, thankfully, he didn't. The blonde teen was too focused on finding the other's good spot to be distracted by the pleasure; well, not too much of it anyway.

When he finally felt the tip of his erection brush the bundle of nerves, and heard Shoichi's cry of ecstasy, Spanner could feel course vibrations move up his shaft as his lover arched his back and twitch his inner muscles from the action. That feeling alone was more amazing than he thought it ever would be.

Knowing the location of the other's good spot now without the use of his fingers, Spanner focused all of his attention on that particular spot. With grunts and breathless whispers of the other's name, the young mechanic picked up the pace of his thrusting, trying to bring himself deeper into the other to hit Shoichi's good spot dead-on. It seemed that no matter how hard or fast he thrust himself in though, the angle was in such a way that Spanner could only brush against it. Even though he knew that Shoichi was thoroughly enjoying himself from the feelings he was giving him, that didn't stop the growl of irritation that left Spanner's throat. He wanted to hit Shoichi's good spot completely!

With another possessive growl, Spanner wanted nothing more than to feel the satisfaction he craved. Without even thinking, he took his hands off of his lover's hips and placed them underneath Shoichi's knees. Pushing Shoichi's legs up and back caused the programmer's butt to lift off the mattress a couple of inches, but it was enough of an angle for Spanner's shaft to sink deeper into his lover's heat, and hit the sweet spot it so desperately craved.

Trends in evolution of

"Yes!" Spanner let out in a triumphant moan as he fully immersed himself in the pleasure he felt in that moment, and of the true unity between him and his lover then. The British teen could feel how close he was to losing himself completely, so he poured everything he had, every ounce of energy, and every feeling, into his thrusts as he continued to hit Shoichi's prostate over and over again.

* * *

After that one hit guided by his directions, Spanner was absolutely precise in brushing up against his sweet spot with every single stroke. The red-head writhed in ecstasy, moaning and crying out his lust.

Any uncomfortableness he had felt was forgotten. He moved his hips to meet every thrust even as they got harder and faster. Shoichi needed it, he craved feeling Spanner as deep as possible. He felt so incredibly good, that he was thoroughly perplexed when he heard an annoyed growl. Was he doing something wrong? Wasn't it good enough for Spanner? Was he supposed to do something now?

Before he could try anything though, his lover growled again, this time very sexy and determined. Spanner changed his hold on him then, folding him up effectively. Shoichi lost his hold on the other then. His hands dropping to the mattress, he clawed it the next second, as Spanner thrust into him deeper than ever before and hit his prostate dead-on.

"Spanner!" Shoichi cried out ecstatically.

Rolled up as he was now, the programmer had no way of participating or even arching his body. The only way he could release the overwhelming feelings Spanner gave him were by clawing at the sheets and crying out his lust. He did just that with every hard, deep thrust and every hit of his sweet spot, his cries growing more ecstatic as the continuing attack of his prostate overwhelmed him and drove him ever closer to completion.

* * *

Shoichi's screams of rapture and twitching walls were doing wonders on Spanner as he felt his abdominal muscles coil tighter with every cry. Just when he thought he was going to lose it, Shoichi let out his loudest scream yet and came hard the next instant. The sight of the other coming undone as his hot essence splashed up to his neck, and feeling the other's walls constrict tightly around his length, caused Spanner to finally come as well. With a cry of his lover's name, Spanner experienced the strongest orgasm he had ever felt as he continued to thrust into Shoichi's tight heat.

After Shoichi's inner muscles were done milking him for all he was worth, a wave of pure exhaustion overcame the young mechanic. Letting go of Shoichi's legs, Spanner collapsed onto Shoichi's body with a tired grunt, the British teen panting heavily from the excursion.

Knowing Shoichi wouldn't be able to breathe too well, Spanner propped himself onto his elbows and lifted most of his weight off of his lover after a couple of minutes passed. It was here that he noticed that his chest and stomach were covered in Shoichi's semen from their bodies pressing together, and that he was still inside the other.

Blushing slightly in embarrassment but still loving the feeling of Shoichi surrounding him, Spanner leaned forward and placed a delicate kiss against Shoichi's lips.

"I'm sorry, Shoichi," the British teen apologized as he continued to place gentle kisses around his lover's mouth and neck, "but can I stay inside you just a little bit longer? I-I can't bring myself to leave you just yet."

And with that, even though Spanner was dead-tired, he brought Shoichi into a slow, sensual kiss, their bodies still united in the afterglow of their love making.

* * *

With another deep, hard hit of his sweet spot, the red-head felt the greatest electric shock yet flash through his body. As the orgasm ripped through him, he screamed in ecstasy and splashed his load onto both their bodies.

Just as his own waves were ebbing, Spanner screamed his name. He felt his tightness flooded with his lover's semen. It was the weirdest and hottest feeling at the same time. Shoichi tried to burn the look on the other's face into his mind then.

With a sigh he stretched his legs, as they were let go, but it turned to a grunt, the moment Spanner slumped onto him. The full weight of his lover pressed him into the mattress. Although the mechanic wasn't eating too well, he was still taller and weighed more than him and Shoichi hadn't been prepared, so he was glad, when after a few moments of catching his breath Spanner lifted some of that weighed off of him.

Shoichi couldn't help but moan softly at the movement though, as he also felt it all the way inside. He looked into his beloved's eyes after he was kissed tenderly. Spanner whispered the sweetest words between tiny, lovely kisses then.

Wrapping his arms around his love, his answer came easily to his lips: "I don't want you to leave either." If it were possible he would never want him to leave. He wanted to feel this deeply connected to his love forever.

Just as his body still was possessed by Spanner, his mouth was conquered too then. Shoichi moaned from the depth of his soul, holding the other to him tightly, and stroking the back of his neck as they kissed long and deep.

* * *

Moans rumbled from his throat as Spanner kissed Shoichi breathless again, and from the feeling of the other's hands stroking the back of his neck. Their tongues tangled lazily as they held each other tightly, and Spanner never wanted it to end. But, sadly, when he felt the need for air, the British teen knew he had to separate from his love.

With a slight whimper, Spanner disconnected his lips from Shoichi's and moved to the side, the movement effectively causing his flaccid member to slip out of his lover's warm body. Spanner shivered as he felt cold air hit his member and immediately missed the connection he had with his beloved programmer. When he looked into Shoichi's eyes then as he lay beside the other, the young mechanic could see that he wasn't the only one that was feeling the loss.

"I'm sorry, Shoichi," Spanner whispered out in sweet apology as he placed slow, gentle kisses all over Shoichi's face. "I'll connect with you again another day…If I could stay united with you for the rest of my life, I would…but it's just not physically possible for both of us. We just have to wait; even though we don't want to."

Ending his kisses at Shoichi's lips, Spanner pulled back and stared into those emerald orbs he loved so much as a look of exhaustion spread across his face.

"We should probably clean ourselves up," the young mechanic murmured as he gave a small yawn. "If we don't do it quickly, I'm afraid my body's going to give out on me."

* * *

When their kiss ended, Shoichi licked his lips, to get even the last, sweet taste of his lover. He whimpered sadly, as Spanner's member finally slid from his body. Only reluctantly, he let go of the other so he could lay beside him.

At least Spanner felt the same. His apology was the sweetest. "Hmhm, I know... I would love that... I always want to be with you... be yours," he whispered back between the gentle kisses to his face.

He nodded to the other's suggestion. Since that first time they had touched here in his room, Shoichi had prepared better.

"If we don't do it quickly, we'll be very sticky soon," he replied with a small smile, as he stretched for his nightstand.

Getting out a package of wet wipes, the red-head turned to the other. "Lay back, my love, you're tired." Kissing him softly, he got to work, gently wiping off the residue of their love-making. Very carefully he ended with Spanner's flaccid flesh, stroking the other, when he hissed at the wet cold hitting the sensitive skin.

Already his love's eyes were drooping, when he wiped himself down. Shoichi couldn't begrudge Spanner his sleepiness. He had 'worked' hard enough. The red-head cuddled up to the by then softly snoring mechanic, taking care to wrap both of them securely into the covers. Lovingly stroking Spanner's chest and side, his face buried against the other's neck, Shoichi closed his eyes. With the smell of grease and cherries that was so unique to his lover making him feel at home, he drifted off to sleep soon, too.

* * *

"_I always want to be with you…be yours…_" Shoichi's words rang inside Spanner's head over and over again after he had heard them; filling him with a sense of possessiveness he couldn't remember feeling in his entire life. Shoichi was _**his**_—no, even more then that—Shoichi was _**a part**_ of him. If someone were to ever take him away from the young mechanic, they'd be taking half of Spanner as well.

As the British teen thought that over, he saw Shoichi reach over to his nightstand and bring out some wipes. Reaching for the packet, he was surprised to hear his beloved ask him to lie down. Blushing at the thought of what Shoichi had in mind, Spanner laid down on the bed anyway, his baby blue eyes staring up at his lover with deep affection.

"You're probably really tired too, Shoichi, so if it's too much…" Spanner muttered sweetly as he affectionately rubbed the programmer's side with one hand. Shoichi didn't pay any heed, though, and just helped in cleaning Spanner up as the mechanic stroked the programmer's back in gratitude. When the wet wipe reached his flaccid member, Spanner hissed at the cool feeling, but it didn't bother him as much as the fact that he was too tired to clean Shoichi off in turn. As his beloved wiped himself off, Spanner could only watch on with drooping eyes, until, begrudgingly, he fell asleep shortly after.

When the next morning came, Spanner stirred from his sleep with a low grunt. Groggily opening his eyes, he found himself still in Shoichi's room and curled up under the covers with his beloved programmer wrapped around him. The sight brought an endearing smile to the mechanic's face as he stared at the sleeping figure of his love in adoration. Knowing that Shoichi would only wake up when his mind was ready to, and that he could sleep through anything, Spanner busied himself with stroking the other's beautiful auburn locks until his lover decided to wake up. Shoichi was so beautiful, so mesmerizing, that Spanner found himself unable to look away from the other. Just the very sight of the programmer beside him was enough to fill the blonde teen to the brim with warmth, like he was submerging himself in a relaxing bubble bath.

Feeling his devotion and love for the older man overtake him in that moment, Spanner leaned forward and left a soft kiss against the other's forehead; nuzzling Shoichi's cheek shortly after with his nose. It was almost unbelievable that last night had actually happened, but he could feel how much closer they both had become from the previous evening. It was just a feeling that permeated the room, and surrounded them in a tight embrace.

As Spanner breathed in Shoichi's distinctively sweet scent then, he couldn't stop thinking about the words his lover had said to him right before Shoichi had cleaned them up. Shoichi had stated he was Spanner's, and the young mechanic reveled in that thought, but…there was a twinge of doubt that wouldn't stop pestering him. He believed Shoichi when he had said that, he truly did…but that didn't stop other people from wanting Shoichi for themselves.

Spanner's eyes narrowed dangerously at this thought. Byakuran had told him yesterday that the moment he made Shoichi unhappy, he'd step in and make him happy himself. That fruity, marshmallow fairy wanted nothing more than an opportunity to steal Shoichi away from him again. No matter what Spanner said concerning Shoichi's feelings for him, and not matter what Shoichi told Byakuran in turn, the white-haired man wouldn't see reason and continued to try and find an opportunity to pounce once again.

Anger consumed the Brit then as he balled up his fists. Was there anything he could do to finally drive home the fact that Shoichi was his, and no one else's?!

Like a light bulb going off in his head, Spanner's eyes widened in realization as he remembered a certain invention he had created in his spare time during his fight with Shoichi that year. After gently untangling himself from a still-sleeping Shoichi, the taller teen slipped on his boxers and headed to his room. As he gathered the necessary materials for his next plan, he spotted Mini Mosca starting his morning cleaning routine. The little robot beeped at him in confusion, but didn't bother to stop and ask his daddy on what he was doing.

When Spanner reentered Shoichi's bedroom, the young mechanic was carrying a portable tattoo machine and work kit he had created. The British teen had wanted a tattoo for the longest while, but since he didn't trust most tattoo establishments, he decided on making his own machine and installing a program into Mini Mosca to help give him the perfect tattoo. Since Spanner knew he had a steady drawing hand, and he knew that Shoichi could sleep peacefully even through an earthquake, a tattoo was the best way to go in order to drive home the fact to others that Shoichi was taken.

As the taller teen started setting up the materials on the nightstand and bed, a feeling of guilt washed over him. What was he doing? Should he be doing this without Shoichi's permission? But those thoughts were quickly dismissed. Spanner was certain that Shoichi would freak out at the idea of getting a tattoo that showcased his feelings for Spanner in such a way, but it was truly the only thing he could think of that would deter Byakuran from making any more moves!

So, with that thought in mind, Spanner got down to work. He picked Shoichi's stomach as the place for the tattoo, so that his beloved could at least cover up the tattoo in public if he so wished. With that, Spanner started to take the utmost care in cleaning the area he was going to work with, before he started writing his name across Shoichi's stomach in big, bold, blue-inked, box-styled, kanji.

* * *

The red-haired programmer awoke with a shiver. He found himself without the warmth of his lover, and even without a warming cover. No wonder he was cold! What had he done in his sleep?

Blinking away the sleep from his eyes, he found Spanner sitting at the end of the bed, looking at him. "Good morning," Shoichi said with a soft smile.

Yawning he stretched himself and hissed. Only then did he realize that the left side of his stomach wasn't cold like the rest, but burned and pricked.

"Ngh...What...?" Shoichi had reached down to touch the hurting area, but Spanner stopped his hand. Confused, he looked first at his lover, then down to his bared stomach. Mouth dropping open, he blinked at what he saw.

This had to be the weirdest dream he had in quite a while. There was a tattoo on his stomach. But he knew this couldn't be. He had never gotten himself a tattoo. Those things hurt, and he wasn't into that. Also, he never had found a design that was so perfect and beautiful that he wanted to wear it on his body for the rest of his life! But no matter how much he blinked, the image remained, and he became more and more aware of the burning and pricking sensations, along with the very red skin surrounding the lines of the tattoo.

"What the hell happened?!" Shoichi exclaimed when he was finally awake enough to realize that this was no dream, and that there was a very real tattoo on his stomach.

* * *

When Spanner was finished with his task, he sat back and stared at his work. In his opinion, the tattoo had turned out great! It even looked professionally made! Happy with the sight he saw before him, with his love sprawled out and now carrying a symbol of their connection, Spanner started packing up his equipment.

After placing his stuff back in his room, he came back and sat at the edge of Shoichi's bed. He wanted to cuddle up against his love, or at least place the covers over him again, but he knew it was best to leave the very irritated skin alone for the moment, or it would hurt his love even more.

It wasn't long after this thought, though, that Shoichi stirred with a shiver. Sitting up, the programmer blinked in confusion before his eyes settled on the young mechanic's, and a morning greeting left his lips. Greeting his lover in turn, Spanner's stomach started to twist in worry when he saw Shoichi wince the next moment he stretched. When his lover's eyes roamed down to his stomach to see the tattoo on his left side, he just stared at it a moment, muttered his confusion, and then tried to touch it.

Immediately springing into action, Spanner grabbed Shoichi's hand to stop him from hurting himself and possibly infecting the wound, but this only confused the programmer even more. Letting go of his beloved's hand, Spanner swallowed audibly. He had a feeling things were going to turn for the worst, and after an eternity of seeing Shoichi glance between him and the new tattoo on his stomach, that freaked out question he had been fearing finally left Shoichi's lips.

"Um…" Was Spanner's first answer as his tongue tied up into a knot from the worry he felt then. This could go _**really**_ badly…

"I-I…uh…After last night…" The British teen started up again, his voice shaking as he tried to keep eye contact with his flustered lover. "…I kept on thinking of how Byakuran would still go after you…so…I tried to think of a way to make him stay away for good…I thought the only way to do that was to…brand you, in a sense…to show him that he can never have you…I thought a tattoo would look good on you, too…and doing it while you were sleeping would be less painful for you…"

Spanner's words trailed off there as he rubbed the back of his head in worry and slight shame. It amazed him how he didn't feel as bad as he thought he should in that situation. In a way, even though he hadn't asked for Shoichi's permission, he had done them both a favor by doing something that would hopefully ward Byakuran off. At least, that's what he thought anyway.

* * *

Spanner was fidgeting and barely keeping eye contact as he stuttered out his answer. Somehow, Shoichi could follow the twisted logic his lover had used to justify this violation of his body, and even more importantly, his trust, but understanding the reasons and condoning them were two very different things!

Hurt and betrayal washed through Shoichi, and a hot fury rose within him towards his crazy lover. "You thought the only way to ward off Byakuran was by _**branding me like a fucking cow**_?!" It was very rare that Shoichi swore, but he was pretty sure he had a right to do so now. "How could you do that?! How...? And without asking me first?!" He was working himself into a real screaming fit, and his stomach even started to act up, making him groan.

Shoichi knew he needed another way to vent or this would only turn out worse for him. He wasn't a violent person, but in his rage, he reached behind himself and threw a fluffy, down pillow full force at Spanner's head.

The dull thud the pillow made on impact was a small satisfaction for Shoichi. Still, his eyes were full of hurt. "What am I to you? Some lifeless toy you can mark with your name, so the other kids won't play with it? How could you do that to me?"

Shoichi hated himself for his deep sleeping state that made this possible in the first place. How could he not have woken up? At least, in this, Spanner was right; he didn't have to bear the pain of the making of the tattoo, which was something he had always feared. But still...

* * *

The first words out of his lover's mouth were like a slap to Spanner's face.

"A _**cow**_?!" The young mechanic shouted incredulously, completely affronted that Shoichi even thought he thought of him like that. But even though Spanner was angry, he couldn't deny the truth to Shoichi's next words. He knew that he should have asked permission first, but he knew that Shoichi would have never gone for the tattoo idea.

Before Spanner could explain this to his love, he heard the other groan in pain. The British teen could tell it wasn't from the tattoo, though. Shoichi's stomach problems were kicking in again.

As the blonde teen reached for the other to try and calm him down, his efforts were met with a pillow to his face. His nose stung a bit after that, but he couldn't complain about Shoichi's reaction. That's the least he deserved for hurting Shoichi like he did. But whatever guilt he felt was completely swallowed by rage the next instant, because of Shoichi's outraged questions. How could the other think so lowly of him after everything they had been through last night?!

"A _**toy**_?! You think I think of you as a _**bloody, fucking toy**_?!" Spanner screamed in outrage, his baby blue eyes burning with an intense fire that matched Shoichi's intense green. "I admit that doing this without asking your permission first was wrong, but I thought you wouldn't like the idea. I seriously thought this would be the only way to keep Byakuran away from us! You said last night that you belonged to me, and no one else! I took that as you saying that you belonged to me as another part of me, as my _**soul mate**_, and that's what that tattoo on your stomach means! I did this to _**protect**_ you, Shoichi, to show Byakuran that no matter what he does, you will always be a part of me, and I will always be a part of you!"

Panting heavily from his rant, Spanner bowed his head then and clawed at the sheets bundled up near the end of the bed.

"Even if I say that, though, I know that doing this without your permission was still wrong of me; despite how strongly I feel that it was the best decision for both of our sakes. I can understand why you're angry…and why you might hate me now…"

Standing up from the bed then, Spanner continued to avert his eyes away from his beloved out of the shame he felt. He truly didn't deserve to look at the other right now, but yet he still couldn't stop feeling that he had been right in his decision. It was truly an odd feeling, and he hated how torn he felt about it.

As he went about gathering his clothes from last night, Spanner went over to Shoichi's closet, and brought out a clean pair of boxers for the other, and a button-up pajama top.

Tossing them on the bed without looking at Shoichi still, Spanner spoke up once again in a shaky voice as he indicated towards the assortment of clothes.

"It's best that you stay in bed today to recover from last night and the tattoo on your stomach. You can at least wear some boxers and an open shirt to keep yourself warm, but just make sure they don't come in contact with the tattoo. I'll grab some of that instant band-aid stuff from the bathroom and leave it on your nightstand. You'll be free to use it if you wish, but it will hurt when you apply it," Spanner mumbled out morosely as he turned his back on Shoichi and started walking towards the door. "Don't worry about food. Even though I'm not a great cook, I can still make instant stuff. I'll send Mini Mosca in with a tray of toast and jam to help settle your stomach a little better, and when I'm at class, he can microwave some lunch for you."

With that said, Spanner finally got the nerve to glance Shoichi's way, give him a sad, apologetic look, and left the room to give Mini Mosca his orders. Feeling unable to face Shoichi again, though, he even asked the little robot to grab the instant band-aid spray from the bathroom as well.

After everything was said and done, and Mini Mosca was moving into Shoichi's room with his tray of food and first aid, Spanner got dressed, grabbed his book bag, and headed out the door in heavy spirits. He had really messed things up, hadn't he?

* * *

The programmer was a bit shocked at Spanner's outrage. Where the heck did he come up with a right to be outraged at _**him**_?! The usually contained teen actually screamed at him!

"You knew I wouldn't want it, so you just went ahead and did it when I couldn't object?!" Shoichi asked incredulous, feeling even more betrayed. Yet, he still heard everything else the other had to say. Soul mates...

At least Spanner finally seemed to recognize that he had done something wrong! But, still, he was stubborn, and insisting that he was right.

_**Hate**_.

Shoichi's emotions were in total turmoil. He didn't know what to think anymore. He was still furious at Spanner, especially as the tattoo really burned right now. Also, his stomach was churning in reaction to the stress he felt himself under at the moment, and to top it off, his bottom didn't seem to like him for staying in a sitting position for too long.

With a soft groan, he lay back as Spanner threw him some fresh clothes. With the way he felt right now, he really wasn't up to going to any classes. He wouldn't be able to follow anyway, and even the thought of sitting on some hard wooden chair was enough to elicit another groan. He nodded slightly to show that he understood, but Spanner couldn't see that, as he didn't even look at him.

There was so much going through his head then, he didn't know what to answer with, nor how. As the back of his lover receded, and the door to his room shut, Shoichi mumbled, "I don't hate you." But that was the only thing he was sure of at the moment.

All alone, Shoichi stared at the ceiling. "_You said last night that you belonged to me, and no one else! I took that as you saying that you belonged to me as another part of me, as my __**soul mate**__, and that's what that tattoo on your stomach means!_" These words came back to him, and he marveled at them. Putting it this way, the tattoo really got another meaning, and he didn't feel like a branded cow anymore.

Shoichi's anger subsided just a little, and he actually looked hopefully towards the door when it opened, but only Mini Mosca came in to bring him his food; and even the spray on band-aid. Feeling a bit dejected, he thanked the little robot. After that he had to shift quite a bit to find a position in which to eat that wasn't too uncomfortable on either of his sore spots. It was hard to do, but he finally managed.

As Shoichi was just about to ask Mini Mosca to get Spanner, he heard their main door open and shut. Sighing, the programmer decided that maybe this was for the best. He ate his breakfast and thought some more on what the other had said.

When he absolutely had to go to the bathroom, Shoichi found that, even with all his training, he was limping slightly and was sore from the exertion of last night. He returned to his bed as fast as he could when he was done and just slept for a while after that.

"_I did this to __**protect**__ you._" These were the words that were on his mind when he woke up again. Spanner's logic was really a bit twisted this time, but thinking about the explanations he had given, Shoichi understood why he did what he had done. He wasn't even mad at the other anymore. He had said it himself that he would always belong to Spanner, and now Spanner had made it plainly visible to the rest of the world. Looking at the tattoo, at the gracefully written Kanji, a tiny smile tugged at his lips then. No, there was no doubt anymore that he belonged to Spanner.

Shoichi had an idea then. He looked at the instant band-aid spray and then towards the irritated, red skin around the tattoo. It would definitely hurt, but he didn't know how else to accomplish it. When he used the spray on himself, he swore the second time that day, and quite a bit more colorfully. Mini Mosca even came to his rescue, but he calmed the little robot down. Shoichi asked him to bring his laptop then, and make some tea. He worked intensely for quite a while on a little program, which he then sent with a message by mail to Spanner.

* * *

Spanner couldn't concentrate to save his life.

It had been like that all day throughout his classes. He just couldn't focus on the material, and when he went to his joint class with Shoichi and saw the empty chair next to him, the fact of what he had done truly sank in. Even though he still didn't fully believe that what he had done had been the wrong thing, that still didn't change the fact that he had basically bypassed Shoichi's human rights, and physically altered him in a permanent sense.

The British teen continued to think these thoughts for the rest of the day, his guilt steadily growing as he thought about Shoichi laying down back at the apartment, hurt in every way because of him, and hating him for his betrayal…

Spanner's throat ran dry at the very thought. There had to be some way he could make it up to the man he loved, something that Shoichi could do to him in turn to make them even. After all, he could apologize, but words weren't going to change the situation; it was far too drastic.

Finally, by the end of his last class, Spanner had come up with a plan. When he went back home, he'd apologize to Shoichi and tell him that he could pay him back by drawing a tattoo on him in turn. Spanner would offer Shoichi to draw whatever he wanted and permanently mark him anywhere on his body while he was awake, so that he would feel the pain. It was the least he could do to remedy the situation he had caused.

When his last class ended, Spanner packed up his things and started to head back to the apartment, but when he walked out of his classroom, he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. Curious as to what was going on, the young mechanic took his smartphone from his pants pocket and glanced at the screen. It only took a second for his eyes to widen in shock and fear, because the text message and attachment he had received were from Shoichi!

The petrified teen could only stare at his phone, unsure of what to do until the screen went black again. Why did Shoichi send him an attachment? Did the message contain Shoichi's goodbye and the attachment was a picture of his suitcase or something?!

Not wanting such a horrible scenario to be true, Spanner gathered his nerve and opened up the email Shoichi had sent him. The taller teen was beyond surprised to see the message that lay in wait for him.

"I could never hate you, because I love you," the message started out. "I am yours, forever. So, let the whole world know, my love, my flower."

Spanner didn't know what to think, and didn't know what to do as he stared at the poetic words his lover had sent him. He could feel his throat constrict as a mixture of different emotions hit him, and his eyes shined in uncertainty as he opened the attachment next.

In the next moment, his whole screen was taken up with a white backdrop and a symmetrical, black line model of a flower bud. Spanner was a little confused by this until he saw the drawing spring to life, and the bud went through the motions of a maturing flower. The British teen was speechless as he saw the black, wire-frame animated flower transform from a flower bud to a mature rose and then revert back again before his eyes; the flower opening and closing continuously.

It was here that Spanner finally understood. Shoichi had called him his flower, because the kanji for Spanner's name were, vinegar and flower, and roses were a flower that symbolized love.

Amazed that his lover had spent a good portion of his day just to make that animation for him, despite what he had done to him, Spanner saved the animation to his phone, and placed the phone back into his pocket. After that, he could only think of one thing, and that was to get home as fast as possible. He had to know if what Shoichi had said was true.

He had to hear Shoichi say that he forgave him.

With a loud slam, Spanner burst through the apartment door ten minutes later and immediately headed into Shoichi's room. His love looked startled as he lay on the bed, but Spanner didn't care. As he dropped his schoolbag to the ground in an unceremonious heap, the British teen made his way over to the bed with desperation shimmering in his eyes.

"You…You truly meant what you said?" Spanner spoke up then, his voice thick with emotion as his eyes shined hopefully the next second. "You're not angry…? You don't hate me…?"

* * *

When the door to the apartment banged open and shut, Shoichi gave a start. Wide eyed, he looked at Spanner who was coming into his room all sweaty, and breathing fast, like he had run home. He just dropped his bag and approached him.

There was so much desperation in his eyes, and, yet, there gleamed hope. Shoichi crossed his arms before his chest. "Don't make any mistake about it; I'm _**still**_ mad at you for doing this without talking to me first!" His features softened then and he reached out to stroke Spanner's sweaty, blonde hair. "But I couldn't hate you. I love you, just like I wrote to you."

Shoichi leaned back and carefully drew up the half open pajama jacket to reveal the tattoo. "Don't worry, I sprayed it in order to work more freely," he explained before he looked down himself. "Actually, it's beautiful in its own way. Especially with the meaning you have put into it. I have a good idea how Nee-san will ride me about it, though, once she finds out, but you can be sure I'll let my frustrations about that out on you." He winked with a little smile. "I guess this settles it. I will have to stay with you forever," Shoichi sighed theatrically. His eyes gleamed with mischief then as he added as an afterthought, "Or I need to find another guy named Spanner." With a slight challenge glinting in his eyes, he looked into his lover's baby blues.

* * *

Hearing Shoichi was still angry with him was the least that Spanner expected from his questions, but when he heard his lover confirm that he didn't hate him, that he loved him, it was more than Spanner could wish for in that instance.

The relieved, British teen closed his eyes as he felt Shoichi comb through his blonde hair while he lay upon the bed. He would always love that touch, and always appreciate it.

It was then that Spanner realized that Shoichi had closed half of his pajama top. Worried about how irritated his skin might be now, the taller teen started to question about it, but his love beat him to the chase. After Shoichi opened his shirt to show off the tattoo, he indicated on how he had sprayed it with the band-aid solution. Spanner felt instant relief at that thought. He didn't know what he'd do if Shoichi's skin got infected because of his actions.

The blonde teen's relief was immediately replaced with shock, though, when he heard Shoichi compliment the tattoo that was forced upon him the next moment. The programmer even told him he thought that it was beautiful! Spanner's throat constricted then from the intense emotions he felt as he stared at his beloved in gratitude. Shoichi had actually come to appreciate the tattoo a bit, and that's all Spanner could ask for after everything he had done to the other.

"Heh," the young mechanic chuckled out as he leaned forward after Shoichi was done with his playful comments, his hand coming up to caress his lover's cheek. "You'd be hard pressed to find another person with such a unique name."

And with that, Spanner pressed his lips against Shoichi's to show his happiness and gratitude, the kiss soon turning passionate as his beloved programmer began to kiss back.

"I'm…so sorry…Shoichi," Spanner finally apologized through their loving kisses; their tongues tangling together for a moment before Spanner could answer again. "I'm thankful for everything…for your words…for the rose…but I know I still don't deserve your full forgiveness."

Leaving a gentle lick against the red-head's lips, Spanner parted from his lover to look into the beautiful emerald eyes he loved so much.

"I want us to be even, Shoichi. It's only fair," the young mechanic breathed out as he stared hopefully into his beloved's questioning orbs. "I think it's only right that you give me a tattoo in return for my actions. I'll give you complete freedom. You can make the tattoo anything you want, even if it's embarrassing or demeaning—I have no right to complain. The tattoo can be placed anywhere you like as well, and, of course, I'll also be awake to bear with the pain of the process. Does…Does that sound good, Shoichi? Would you forgive me after that?"

* * *

It was good to see Spanner laugh again. Even though it had been his own fault, the red-head still hated to see his love so down, like when he had left that morning.

He chuckled to himself. "Hmm, yeah, I guess you're ri..." Shoichi never got to end the sentence as his lips were claimed in a kiss. As his lover's hand cradled the back of his neck, he just gave in with a moan, opening himself to Spanner's sweet make-up. As their tongues met, they soon entwined in a passionate tussle, leaving the programmer to whimper softly.

"Hmm?" He murmured questioningly, not quite understanding what Spanner meant. Yeah, he was still a little mad, but he had forgiven the other.

Once more, his lips were licked before the younger one explained himself fully. At first, Shoichi was slightly taken aback at the suggestion, but the other was right; it was only fair. As soon as the thought fully materialized in his head, Shoichi knew exactly what kind of tattoo it would be. Some aspects of their old future just seemed bound to happen. But even though he had this in his mind, he couldn't help but use this opportunity to exact some revenge on his love for what he had done.

"I can really make it anything, even embarrassingly corny, and put it anywhere I want on your body?" He asked, narrowing his eyes to look really scrutinizing. "Even a usually exposed piece of skin?" Since he himself wasn't the type to wear belly-free short tops, his tattoo would mostly be covered until swimming season in summer. Spanner's tattoo would need him to wear a turtleneck to cover it. But he was pretty sure his lover would like his old tattoo, so there would be no need to cover it up. Also, as he thought about it, Shoichi realized the design would gain a new meaning now.

* * *

When the other's scrutinizing eyes met his, and Shoichi's words reached his ears, Spanner couldn't suppress the slight twinge of fear he felt in his lover's calculating gaze. But there was nothing he could do to change what was happening. He had willingly stated what Shoichi could do to pay him back, and he was going to stick to those words.

Letting go of his beloved's neck, Spanner knelt beside Shoichi's bed then and lowered his head slightly, like a servant bowing to their master. In a sense, the situation the both of them were in was a bit similar. Spanner was at the complete mercy of Shoichi, because of the wrong he had done, so it was up to the other man to decide his punishment.

"If that is what you wish to do, I have no right to object," the British teen muttered morosely as he continued to avert his gaze from the man he loved. "Even though I think that a tattoo was the best thing to do in regards to keeping Byakuran away from you, I know that it was horribly wrong of me to give you one without your permission. I told you it's only fair that I'm treated in a similar way, but receive more pain for my actions…"

As Spanner trailed off, he felt his body run cold at the thought of the embarrassing tattoos Shoichi could give him then. His heart clenched painfully at the thought that Shoichi would willingly go through with giving him a horribly degrading tattoo and place it on the most visible part of his body, but he still knew that there was nothing he could do to change anything now. This is what he deserved. As long as Shoichi would forgive him and stay with him in the end, then he would do anything; even throw away his pride.

* * *

The programmer could see apprehension take over his lover. Nonetheless, Spanner knelt down before him and affirmed his own promise. He definitely wasn't happy, and seemed to fear the worst, but he stood by his own words and was willing to receive his punishment.

Looking down at his lover's cowering, remorseful form, Shoichi almost gave in. For a second, he thought about telling his love about his plans, but in the end, he didn't. Spanner had earned himself some punishment, and this was it.

Still, he reached out, gently stroking the mechanic's hair. "I promise it won't be anything in pink," he said then with a little wink and a smile. But he was pretty sure the making of the tattoo was going to be painful at the place it was going. Before he went about it, he should try and get some anesthetics spray to make it a little easier on Spanner.

Shoichi's lighter mood sobered then as he remembered something he had tried to block out. "Come here," he asked the mechanic as he turned to his nightstand to get something. When Spanner sat next to him, he handed him a letter, sighing dejectedly. "It's here. Mini Mosca brought it while you were gone. I didn't dare open it alone..."

It was the bill from their facility management for the water damage Spanner had caused. They hadn't even looked for a new couch yet, as they knew they should keep their money until they knew what they had to pay in damages. Shoichi wrapped his arms around the mechanic and kissed his cheek. "We'll make it somehow," he said softly.

* * *

When he felt Shoichi's gentle hand begin to stroke his hair, Spanner sighed contentedly at the warm touch. Even though he was still afraid of what was going to become of him in the future, Shoichi's hands were still touching him in a caring way, and that's all that mattered. The young mechanic was surprised out of his thoughts, though, at Shoichi's reassurances.

"Thank you for narrowing down the possibilities to less than infinite, Shoichi…" Spanner uttered sardonically with a sarcastic smile.

When his lover ignored his reply and just asked him to come and sit on the bed the next instant, Spanner raised his head in confusion, but did as he was asked. As he sat beside his love (on his right side so that he wouldn't hurt the other), he saw Shoichi reach into his nightstand and bring out an envelope.

Taking the letter in hand, Spanner glanced at the return address to see that it was from their facility management for the apartment's water damage. Cursing silently to himself, Spanner could only glare at the enclosed bill as it reminded him of his past mistakes. Feeling Shoichi hold him and kiss his cheek, offering his reassurances then, Spanner could only bask in the touch and return Shoichi's kiss with a peck to the programmer's cheek as well. There were going to be some rough waters ahead, but they'd make it through.

"Yes, we'll do it. Somehow…"

With his words trailing off, Spanner turned his attention back to the bill at hand, and opened the envelope. As he unfolded the letter, the young mechanic's stomach began to turn as he saw the numbers printed at the bottom of the sheet.

"Bloody hell, I think they went trigger happy with the zeros…" Spanner whispered out in horror. "Did the water really cause that much damage?"

Sighing in defeat, Spanner just placed the letter back in its envelope and handed it over to Shoichi to put back in his nightstand. They really had to earn the money or else they'd be kicked out of the apartment.

"It's obvious we have to win the robot competition tomorrow…" Spanner muttered then with a factual tone of voice, his facial features becoming more determined as he spoke, "…but there's no way that Mini Mosca's going to lose. We'll floor the competition, Shoichi!"

As he turned to look at his lover then, Spanner could see his own determination reflected in Shoichi's eyes. They were going to be unstoppable tomorrow; they had to be.

* * *

The next morning they dropped their usual run, and Shoichi made them a hearty breakfast instead. They had spent the afternoon the day before checking Mini Mosca from dome to chain driven foot. Spanner had taken care of polishing the little robot to make him look especially good, while the programmer went over the hand-outs for the jury.

They also had made some trial runs on the abilities Mini was to display for the competition, and everything worked out just perfectly. With his thought processes on a wholly different level then way back when, Mini Mosca had no trouble whatsoever now in giving the cutest hug, which he now did with a little, blinking heart shape popping up on his display screen accompanying his action.

After they had eaten, the time had come. Shoichi had made the effort and gotten some anesthetic spray that would at least numb the sensitive area of Spanner's neck a little. They did it in his bedroom, where it seemed everything that was very important to them happened. He made Spanner lie down on his side.

"You better close your eyes now," he advised before he used the spray on his love. Since the tattoo was very geometrical, Shoichi used a prepared pattern to get the perfect lines and circles. He was sure his love would still feel some pain, but it should be much more bearable with the numbing effect of the spray. With the pattern on Spanner's neck, Shoichi set to work following the lines and filling in the image.

* * *

After their discussion about the bill, Spanner and Shoichi spent the rest of the afternoon preparing for the robotics competition the following day. The young mechanic took his time in checking to make sure every part of Mini Mosca was functioning perfectly before he shined his beloved robot up; Mini Mosca beeping in appreciation from the treatment. After doing their trial run on their little robot's abilities, the two went to bed and tried to rest up for the big day they had ahead of them.

When the following morning came, Shoichi prepared a huge breakfast for the both of them, much to Spanner's delight. But, after they finished their breakfast and Shoichi informed Spanner that it was time for the tattooing, that delight soon turned into apprehension. The British teen swallowed audibly and nodded sadly as he trudged towards Shoichi's bedroom. The vindictive programmer had informed him last night that he would tattoo Spanner in the morning before the competition, and the blonde teen couldn't refuse; even though he wanted to. This was going to be beyond embarrassing. Not only was Shoichi going to probably draw a weird tattoo on him (how good were Shoichi's skills with a pen/stylus anyway?) in a very visible spot, everyone at the competition would see it! Spanner wondered if his lover's vindictiveness might have gone into overkill mode, but still, he couldn't bring himself to complain. He had told Shoichi he'd do whatever he wanted in compensation for his actions, so he was being punished according to what his lover deemed fair.

Hearing Shoichi's directions as they entered the programmer's bedroom, Spanner took off his shirt as asked, and lay on his side on the bed. It was a moment later that he felt the numbing spray hit the side of his neck.

Baby blues widening in fear, the young mechanic stiffened and swallowed his pride as he lay there helplessly by his own word. So Shoichi was going to tattoo his neck…great…

When he felt a stencil placed against his neck the next moment, his spirit practically died. Bloody hell! Shoichi was beyond prepared for the occasion and had even made a pattern the night before just to make sure he got the tattoo right!

As Spanner inwardly cried about how whatever manhood and dignity he had left was going to disappear with every painful prick that went into his neck, the fearful blonde tried to focus on what Shoichi was drawing. From what Spanner could tell, it was all geometric shapes, but they could be anything! The thing that Shoichi was drawing into his neck could possibly be demeaning or embarrassing, and now he was going to have to live with it for the rest of his life!

When the process was all done, and Spanner sat up with an aching neck (the numbing spray was still working, but it was gradually fading), Shoichi ushered the terrified mechanic into the bathroom to see what he had done. As the mirror came into view, Spanner averted his eyes away, too afraid of what he'd see.

Gathering his nerve after some mental preparation, Spanner brought his head up and stared straight into the mirror, his eyes roving down to the side of his neck where the dreaded tattoo lay. What the young mechanic's eyes beheld was beyond anything he had imagined! Not only was the tattoo not hideously demeaning or embarrassing, it was familiar! Shoichi had drawn the same tattoo Spanner's future self had in their old future!

As he stared at the familiar assortment of points, circles, and the octagon in the middle that contained the letter S, Spanner could only gawk in disbelief.

"S-Shoichi…this is…I don't…" Spanner stuttered out in amazement as he looked away from the mirror to stare at his lover in questioning wonder. "…_**Why**_…?"

It made no sense. Why would Shoichi give him such an amazing tattoo after what he had done to the other?!

* * *

Spanner was behaving like an innocent man facing the hangman's noose. On the one hand, Shoichi felt like his little revenge was very satisfying, but on the other, he was a little disappointed in his beloved. What did he expect he was about to draw? For how evil did Spanner take him to be?

He took Spanner into the bathroom when he was done in order to see the other's reaction. It seemed to take the younger one a moment to gather his courage, though. When he finally saw the design, Shoichi could feel the other's relief flood the whole bathroom.

When Spanner asked him about why he had chosen this design, the red-head reached out to stroke the other's blonde hair. "Because I've always liked your future tattoo. It's something unique and futuristic and cool. It fits you. And even though it's not quite as blunt as your tattoo for me, the S not only stands for Spanner now, but for Shoichi, too," he smiled softly as his eyes shined with the love he felt for the other.

His gaze turned more mischievous next. "And I guess I got my revenge on you with the way you were mortally afraid of what I would draw on your body and make you wear for the entire world to see." Slapping Spanner's arm with his hand, he shook his head. "What the heck did you expect I'd do to you?!"

Even though he was a bit exasperated with his lover, he still smiled at him. "It looks cool on you."

* * *

As Shoichi answered him while his hands lovingly stroked Spanner's blonde hair, the British teen felt an amazing warmth spread through him. The S on his neck symbolized both of their names; united them. It was the perfect tattoo, and way more than Spanner thought he deserved.

When a mischievous twinkle entered Shoichi's eyes, and the smaller programmer slapped his arm playfully as he questioned him, Spanner was caught between smiling in his relief and groaning out his fears.

"Well, I thought I deserved to have an embarrassing tattoo…" The young mechanic explained. "I didn't want to believe you'd actually go through with it, but my mind kept on thinking of the worst case scenario."

Shoichi seemed to take his answer in stride, but then he did something the British teen didn't expect; Shoichi told him he looked cool. Hearing his lover compliment him on the tattoo the next minute was a bit surprising for Spanner. A light blush dusted his cheeks at his lover's appreciation, but he knew it only looked cool because it had been drawn that way.

"W-Well, I have you to thank for how cool it looks…" Spanner muttered out in embarrassment as his eyes met Shoichi's. As he stared into his lover's eyes then, he realized how, even though the tattoo incident had been stressful for both of them, they were now united with each other more than ever.

Feeling the new closeness between them, the new intimacy they both shared now because of their meaningful tattoos, a seductive smirk made its way onto Spanner's lips. Moving closer to his beloved, Spanner reached out to caress the side of Shoichi's face as his other hand circled intimately around his lover's hipbone.

"Thank you for the amazing tattoo, Shoichi. This proves that we're now both truly united in body and soul…" Spanner purred out as the hand on Shoichi's hip moved up to lift the programmer's shirt up a bit in order for the tattoo on his stomach to be seen. "I have to say that although mine looks cool, I think yours looks pretty sexy."

* * *

The sheepish look Spanner sent his way when he admitted how his fears had played with his mind was enough for Shoichi to fully forgive his lover. The programmer really felt like he had exacted enough of a revenge on the other in letting him stew in his guilty fears. On the one hand, he never would have permanently disfigured him in any way (not to mention that he would have to look at the tattoo every day himself!), and on the other, he actually liked his own tattoo.

"You should really learn to trust me more, my love," he said softly.

When Spanner looked at him then in that special way and closed in on him, Shoichi felt warmth flood him. He just leaned into the gentle caress of his face and wrapped his arms around the other.

"Yes, I belong to you and you belong to me," the red-head whispered, looking into those beautiful blue eyes.

As he felt his shirt being lifted, he looked down then. "I-It does...?" Shoichi asked a bit surprised. He felt his cheeks flush lightly as he focused his questioning gaze on Spanner. He liked it, and he loved it's meaning, but was it really sexy?

* * *

Spanner realized how surprised Shoichi seemed to be at his claim, but after he thought about it, he saw why. After all, it was normal for people to not think of kanji as sexy when they looked at them.

"I'm not saying it's sexy in the way that I wrote it on you," the British teen explained in a low, husky whisper, "I'm saying that when I see my name branded on your stomach, and know that it unites us in every way because you actually like my name on your stomach too, it turns me on."

Spanner dropped Shoichi's shirt then and brought his lover in close, his bare chest touching the programmer's clothed one as the young mechanic nipped playfully at the smaller one's ear.

"You have no idea how badly I just want to bring you into your room and make love to you until neither of us can move…" Spanner growled possessively into Shoichi's ear then as he rubbed his hands up and down his lover's back; one of the hands straying very close to the other man's butt.

Sadly, the blonde teen suppressed his urges, and let the hand rest on the small of Shoichi's back instead as he lay a gentle kiss against the red-head's forehead.

"It disappoints me to know that I can't, though," Spanner muttered dejectedly as he stared into Shoichi's shining eyes again. "You're probably still not fully recovered from two nights ago, and my neck is going to be bothering me for the rest of the day. It hurts a bit now, actually."

The young mechanic chuckled at this little fact before he nuzzled the tip of his nose against Shoichi's, so he wouldn't mess up his lover's glasses.

"I guess all I can ask for now is a good luck kiss for the competition," the young mechanic murmured sweetly as a joking twinkle shined in his eyes. "Do you think you can do that for me at least, Shoichi?"

* * *

The red-head swallowed thickly as Spanner explained to him in that voice that made his knees go weak. Heat flooded him instantly. How could mere words do this to him?

He was pulled in more closely then, and his ear was nipped. A soft whimper from the action turned into a moan at the other's next suggestion. Although he was still a bit sore from their first time, he didn't care at the moment, not when Spanner's hand was teasingly brushing his butt.

The hand stopped at his back, though, and what he got was a simple peck to his forehead. Shoichi really felt like pouting then, but the mechanic's explanation stopped him. It really might be better if he abstained from penetration for another day, and he could understand very well about the hurting neck.

"I'm sorry it hurts," he mumbled softly. Even though it was to be expected with the sensitive area, he still felt bad for his lover.

Sweetly, Spanner nuzzled his nose and asked him for kiss. "Hmmm, really? Should I?" Shoichi asked, like he had to really think hard on a forward request like that. "Ah, well, as it's my competition too, I guess I can make an exception for you."

Putting his hand around the safe side of Spanner's neck, Shoichi stretched a bit and touched his lips softly to the other's. Teasingly, he nibbled the tender flesh before he licked it. When a low moan parted the teen's lips, Shoichi's tongue slipped in, tasting the rich cherry essence with a moan of his own. As he nudged and teased the other's tongue, he stroked his neck, knowing Spanner liked it when he did that.

Shoichi didn't let their kiss get too passionate, but he took his time scouting out every nook and cranny of the wet cavern, and tasting his lover to the fullest. When he finally let go, he was panting softly as he licked his lips for a last bit of Spanner's cherry taste.

* * *

His love teased him with a few words before Spanner felt the other's hand on the good side of his neck. Automatically, a small shudder traveled down his spine at the touch. He had no idea why, but whenever Shoichi touched him there, it made him weak in the knees.

Before Spanner could get too carried away with his thoughts, though, Shoichi was pressing his lips against his, the small programmer nibbling at his lower lip before a small lick soothed the irritated flesh. The British teen couldn't stop the low moan that escaped him at the feeling, and willingly allowed his lover's tongue to enter his mouth. The kiss was lazily sweet, Shoichi taking his time in roving every part of Spanner's mouth, and making sure no part went untouched. When his lover enticed his tongue into a slow dance, Spanner got a taste of Shoichi's unique sweetness, but he also felt his beloved programmer rub his neck gently. It wasn't surprising that the vibrations of both caused his lower regions to stir into life, and for another low moan to leave his mouth. Shit! He had to stop thinking of dirty thoughts or this was going to turn out badly!

When Shoichi parted from him, his face beautifully flushed as he licked his lips, Spanner couldn't help but be turned on by the erotic sight; despite his better judgment. Forget the bed; he wanted to slam Shoichi up against the nearest wall and screw him senseless!

Shaking visibly from trying to hold himself back from doing as his body wanted, Spanner bowed his head, separated himself from Shoichi, and gently pushed his lover out of the bathroom. The young mechanic knew that no good would come from going back on his earlier decision. If they had sex now, Shoichi would be in more pain, and Spanner's neck would probably be even more irritated. Spanner didn't want the both of them to regret something so special.

"I-I'm sorry, Shoichi…." Spanner started as he pushed his confused lover out of the bathroom. "…If you keep touching me like that….I don't think I'd be able to control myself…Thank you for the kiss, love."

And with that, Spanner shut the bathroom door behind Shoichi's back, the young mechanic blushing profusely since his lover probably figured out by now on why he was doing so. Hurriedly making his way to the toilet in the small room, Spanner unzipped his fly and got to work. As much as he wanted Shoichi to do this instead, he knew that if the other touched him anymore, he wouldn't be able to hold back. Bloody hell, it was going to be embarrassing to face Shoichi after this!

* * *

Spanner's gaze was so intense that the red-head felt his knee's weaken again. All the programmer wanted in that moment was to succumb and be ravished by the other one. Regrettably, the mechanic had other plans. Dropping his hungry gaze, he pushed him away and out of the bathroom.

Maybe they would just go into his room like usual? There was a little hope to this thought, but that tiny bit was crushed immediately, too. "Well...you don't have to..." Shoichi murmured, but it was already too late. The bathroom door flew shut behind him. He turned around and looked at it confused.

Why didn't Spanner follow him? It took a full second for his one-tracked-mind to catch up. Shoichi really wasn't happy, once he caught on. He would have helped his lover out! But he knew from experience that one thing used to lead to another and—he sighed. It probably was for the best. His love had shown as much restraint as he could in this situation. One, or two more days. They could hold out that long, couldn't they?

Sighing once more, he looked at his watch and decided it was time to make some lunch. The competition wasn't far off, and they shouldn't face it on an empty stomach. He prepared the food and tried his best not to show any signs that he had surmised what Spanner had been doing when the other joined him. Trying to take their minds off the whole thing, he stroked up the topic of their competition, and how Mini would amaze them all. This, of course, was greeted by a series of beeps that sounded pretty triumphant.

* * *

When Spanner left the bathroom after he was done, his cheeks were flushed both from extreme embarrassment and from the thoughts that had accompanied his perverted actions. He was super thankful that Shoichi tried to act like nothing strange had happened after he reappeared, and even stroke up a conversation about the competition over a quick, yet deliciously prepared, lunch. It was here that Spanner forgot about his embarrassment and delved into the topic of the competition they'd be going to in a few minutes.

After discussing the difficulty of the colleagues they'd be facing off against, and agreeing that Mini Mosca was the most likely to win (which the little robot attested to himself with confident beeps), the three set off for the main campus auditorium where the competition would be held. Before they left the apartment, though, Spanner made sure to give a sweet, chaste kiss to Shoichi as a form of apology for his earlier behavior, and because it would be a long while before they could touch each other again, since they were going into public together.

With that, and after grabbing some necessities, the happy little family set off and made it to the auditorium some twenty minutes later. Spanner remembered to bring his cleaning kit for the little robot, since he knew the walk there would dirty Mini Mosca up a bit. Thankfully, he knew they had time before the competition started in order to recheck Mini's systems and clean him up before they went on stage.

As the three entered the back entrance to the auditorium for the competitors(since the main one was used for visitors/spectators), the young mechanic was quick to notice the back area (the locker rooms and supply area) of the auditorium was filled with early arriving competitors tinkering with their robots and polishing them up. When Spanner and his team entered, he could see eyes shift over to them as they made their way down the hall to find a more secluded locker area to run their check on Mini. The British teen was proud to see the looks of awe, fear, and even jealousy, as the competitors feasted their eyes on Mini Mosca's brilliance, the little robot waving back politely to the stares like a good little boy. Spanner held back a chuckle at the robot's actions, but he couldn't stop his features from becoming affectionate as he noticed how proud Shoichi looked because of Mini's attitude. Shoichi was such a cute, proud, little mommy.

When they finally came upon a more secluded spot away from the rest of the competitors in the back corner of one of the locker rooms, Spanner couldn't help but ask, "So Shoichi, what do you think of the competition so far? I have to say that I didn't see anything too spectacular that would give Mini a run for his money, but we can only judge on outward appearance at this point."

* * *

After one last gentle kiss, Shoichi grabbed his laptop while Spanner took his own stuff. Excitement started to rise in the programmer as they made their way to the auditorium. He was confident in their work, and even more so in Mini Mosca, but, still, with the water damage bill hanging over their heads, winning this competition was an absolute necessity. They just had to win, but this thought was making Shoichi tense. Of course this tension immediately made his stomach prick with anxiety.

Walking through the back area helped to calm his anxiety down a bit, though. All heads turned to them, and he could see their awe and envy, too. Looking down to Mini Mosca running at their side, Shoichi just had to concur. Their little robot was a beauty. And not only that, he was way advanced from anything anyone else could have made. When he saw their little one wave to those staring people, he just felt immensely proud of their work and the way Mini was evolving himself now.

It was here that Spanner had chosen a spot for them, and they stopped. Shoichi affectionately stroked their robot's dome. He looked at his lover then when he was asked his opinion.

"I must admit, I was a little anxious before we entered. But when I saw the projects gathered here, I calmed down. You are right, we can only judge by appearance. Still, no one has our combined knowledge, and no robot can be as advanced and, yeah, even cute, as Mini is. We will win this," he declared with a convinced smile without looking arrogant. Shoichi just felt sure.

* * *

Hearing his lover agree with him, and even state his confidence on the matter, helped to calm whatever nerves Spanner might have felt in that moment. Sending a warm smile his beloved's way then, and giving Mini a proud pat on the head, Spanner and Shoichi got to work on running a check on Mini's systems to make sure everything was in working order. After that was done, and after a quick shine up, Mini was ready to wow the audience.

With their little robot beeping happily at the attention he was getting, Spanner new that the winnings from the competition were practically in their hands. Their robot was just way more intelligent and free thinking than any other robot there. How could they not win?

As the time for the competition drew near, Spanner heard Shoichi state he was going to visit the restroom. Bidding his lover goodbye for the moment, Spanner and Mini Mosca made their way to the waiting area in the back of the stage to sign up for their turn to go out. Sadly, the choice was decided by the drawing of numbers for the teams. After drawing his number, and noticing that his team was one of the last to go on (which was good in this case, because the last robots shown were more likely to be remembered), Spanner saw Shoichi come into the waiting area in search of them.

Waving at the smaller man, the British teen and Mini made their way towards Shoichi, the young mechanic waving his number in the air.

"We're one of the lasts to go on, Shoichi!" Spanner explained with excitement. "I think we're really going to make an impression this way!"

With Mini Mosca beeping and lifting his arms up and down in excitement, Spanner couldn't help but chuckle at his little robot's cute antics. He truly was in high spirits then. The British teen was surrounded by his makeshift family, and there was a high possibility they'd win a competition today! Nothing could really go wrong!

"Anyway, the judges said that all the contestants must line up now, since the show is close to starting. We line up in this area in the correct order of numbers, and we'll be able to watch what's going on onstage with the help of the hanging TV's back here."

* * *

To be one hundred percent sure nothing could go wrong, Shoichi plugged into Mini and checked the systems, while Spanner polished off whatever dust their little one might have gathered on their way over here. Satisfied that everything was functioning perfectly, he unplugged his laptop again.

As he felt the call of nature, he told Spanner they'd meet up in a moment, and made a short stop at the washrooms. When he joined his love in the waiting area, he was happy to hear they were going to be on stage at the end of the competition. It was just human nature to easily forget about earlier appearances when watching these things in a row.

"Yeah, that's lucky for us. I guess it's just a sign," he winked and smiled happily at Spanner, joining in the other's laugh when Mini Mosca acted all excited, too.

"Ah, okay, I guess they want to know about the props use and who needs what." Since the robots needed to show off their abilities, the competitors had to bring in their props two days earlier, so they could be checked for manipulations.

When they tried to find their correct place in the line, Shoichi saw Mimi. He couldn't help the dark look that crossed his face. Even though he knew nothing much had happened between Spanner and her, he still remembered that one kiss only too well, and wanted her nowhere near his love. He guessed this feeling wasn't too different from Spanner's feelings about Byakuran.

The real shock came, though, as he lined up right behind her and her roommate and saw their robot that had been hidden from view behind them. "What the hell...?" Shoichi exclaimed, looking wide-eyed at the contraption and blanching visibly.

Standing behind the girls was a little robot that was almost an exact copy (at least in outward appearance) of Mini Mosca, except that it was varnished a girlish pink, and even had a big dotted bow attached cutely and lopsidedly to its head.


	9. Chapter 9

Hi there! Is anybody still out there? ;D So this is it. The ninth and final chapter. To anyone who hung in there, thanks a lot! A special thanks to the guest reviewer, whom I couldn't thank privately, because you made the effort this chapter will be out today!

Now, this is the end to our journey with the geeks. Spanner and Shoichi are in desperate need of money and their supposedly sure win hangs suddenly in the balance! We hope you will enjoy this conclusion. There is also a little omake at the end. This was inspired by a conversation I had with GStorm59, so you can thank her for that ^_^

Here are some last words from AdaraLove my lovely co-writer.

_Hello again readers, AdaraLove here. Thank you all for reviewing and favoring this story =) Éthelwyn and I really enjoyed writing this story, and we're glad to know that you guys have liked it too! Don't forget to review and give us your final thoughts on this story, because this is the last chapter! We hope you enjoy it =)_

Our next project is a D18 fan fiction. This will be uploaded on AdaraLove's account, so anyone who's interested in that and hasn't done so yet should put her on author follow. She also does incredible work on her own! If you want an idea what the D18 will be about check out my song ficlet "Not strong enough". That's it for self-advertising, I'm not to good at that anyway.

All that's left is to hope you'll enjoy this last piece and maybe ask you for one last review ^_^

**Warnings for this chapter: **None, really...

* * *

**Chapter 9**

Seeing his lover react the same way to his news had made Spanner even happier. Shoichi was so cute when he winked! The young mechanic realized then that it was now becoming more and more difficult to keep his hands to himself because of Shoichi's actions, so when he heard Shoichi's suggestion, his reaction was a little strained as he agreed.

"Yeah, but now that you mention our props, they should be placed near the entrance to the stage. Our number should be on them, so that they don't get confused with another team's," the young mechanic let out as he hurriedly shoved his hands into his pants pockets.

Thankfully, Shoichi didn't seem to notice how weird his last actions were, so Spanner just led his team to where they were supposed to line up. As they reached the end of the line, the British teen was in for a shock. Almost immediately, he recognized Mimi, but he wished he hadn't. He had completely forgotten that she was going to be there, so he hoped that Shoichi would be able to contain whatever jealousy he felt towards her. The last thing Spanner needed was for his bloody mental ex-girlfriend to figure out he had chosen a man over her.

Seeing Mimi again wasn't the only shock he got to his system, though. When he stiffly and awkwardly made his way behind Mimi and her roommate, trying not to make eye contact, he noticed their robot. The blonde teen could only gawk at the atrocity that met his eyes then. Mimi's robot looked almost exactly like Mini Mosca on the outside, except it was disgustingly pink, and even had the most demeaning, feministic bow on the side of its head! Complete and utter betrayal was all Spanner could feel in that moment as he heard Shoichi exclaim his confusion. It was like Mini Mosca had just gotten kidnapped and the kidnappers altered his appearance to serve their needs! It was completely horrible, and the young mechanic noticed how staring at the robot, which looked like the Minnie Mouse rip-off of their Mickey Mouse (to put it bluntly), was actually making him feel sick.

"Oh, well what a surprise!" Mimi exclaimed in fake happiness as she turned around then with a sinister smirk, her roommate following suit. "I see you finally noticed our robot. Isn't Mini Maid the absolute cutest!"

"I think it looks like an abomination against society…" Spanner whispered out shakily in reply, his face completely horror struck as he continued to stare at the pink version of Mini Mosca. It was seriously like some deformed creature killed Mini Mosca, altered his appearance, and then wore him as a skin…

"Che! Well you wouldn't know what was good if it slapped you in the face, so that's no surprise…" Mimi spat back meaningfully and detestably as her eyes shined with hurt and anger. Spanner guessed that the crazy bint still wasn't over him.

As Spanner finally got a good look at Mimi then, his eyes widened exponentially. She was wearing a low cut top to show off her bosom, and she was also wearing a mini-skirt. Her brown hair was also put up into a cute ponytail, and she had just the right amount of make-up on her face to not look like a hooker. To Spanner, it looked like Mimi had purposefully dressed up in a way to wow the male judges and audience.

"Oh, I see you finally noticed my ensemble," Mimi muttered in a pleased fashion as she placed one hand on her hip and the other delicately over her chest in a flirtatious manner. "Let me tell you, it's really come in handy so far. It's not pure coincidence that I'm standing before you in line, you know…"

And with those foreboding words, Spanner realized what Mimi was trying to do. That crazy bitch was going to use her charm to wow the judges by copying their robot, and then make them look bad when Spanner and his team came out next. She was trying to get them disqualified from the show and ruining their credibility, because she probably knew she couldn't win otherwise!

Betrayal hit Spanner hard then. Just how the hell did this happen?! It would make sense that Mimi memorized the purpose for Mini Mosca because Spanner had told her some things about the robot when they were going out, and Mimi had seen the robot on occasion whenever she came over to his apartment. She could have easily memorized the design then, but how the bloody hell did she get the programming for Mini Mosca?!

It was then that Spanner's thoughts immediately shifted to the most likely culprit; Byakuran. That freak had access to Mini's programming, because Shoichi would always go over to his house to work on their video game. Since most of the programming information was on Shoichi's computer, and Spanner wouldn't be surprised if Byakuran worked with Shoichi on the super computer in the lab, he could easily access that information!

"_**You**_…" Spanner growled out menacingly, his eyes narrowing into dangerous slits as he glared heatedly at the young woman before him. But before he could yell or threaten her in a likely manner, he noticed Mini Mosca move into sight. The little robot was beeping happily at finding a robot similar to him, and hundreds of questions seemed to be flying across his display screen in his excitement at finding another Mosca to play and converse with. After a minute of this, though, Mini Mosca hung his head sadly and moved away. The female version of himself hadn't responded once; hell, she hadn't even moved even though she was obviously on.

Spanner's thoughts immediately backtracked then. If the pink Mosca wasn't responding, that meant it didn't have the programming to understand Mini. And, if that was the case, that meant that the little robot's programming hadn't been copied as well! Maybe Byakuran didn't have a part in this plan, and it was all Mimi's based on the knowledge she received from Spanner?

* * *

Shoichi just couldn't believe his eyes. What did Mimi try to accomplish in making a girlish double of Mini Mosca? How much had Spanner told her about their plans and accomplishments for Mini? How good of a copy could that thing be? He was pretty sure Mimi's rip-off could never be as advanced in its abilities as their own robot was, so copying the outer design was just plain dumb, wasn't it? She still had no chance against them!

The next shock came, though, when he heard the contraptions name. "Mini Maid?" He breathed incredulously. Obviously, Spanner had told her something about their robot, and she seemed hell bent into going into direct competition with them. Well, let her! Mini Mosca would show that little…_**bitch**_!

Shoichi's eyes narrowed at the stab she made at Spanner with her slapping comment. He really had to hold back in not telling her off. Biting the inside of his cheek, he straightened his glasses in an attempt to calm himself.

When Mimi admitted that her lolita-style attire had been put to use to manipulate the line-up, he finally put two and two together and came to a horrible conclusion. It didn't matter that their Mini Maid was definitely inferior to Mini Mosca, they would just go out on stage before them and be the first to show off the idea of a cleaning robot in this design. Spanner and himself wouldn't even get the chance to show Mini's superior abilities! They would look like a cheap rip-off of the girl's idea!

How?! How could they turn this around? Would they even get a chance to show Mini Mosca off? Would they get booed off stage right away? They couldn't get disqualified right away, right? But would the jury even look at their performance twice after the girls went first? Probably not. Who would believe that they were the first to have the idea? As the atmosphere between the participants grew ever denser, something unexpected happened.

Oblivious to the happenings and implications, Mini Mosca just saw someone looking like himself. He was like a little schoolboy who wanted to make friends. Excitedly, he beeped friendly at the pink version and showered it with questions about itself, but not the slightest bit of reaction was shown in return. To Shoichi, it was obvious as to why. Neither Mimi nor her roommate had the programming abilities to make the robot able to react to diverse, and even unexpected, stimulation. At the most, this thing would be able to react to a few programmed commands and situations. Maybe it could clean the floor on its own if it detected enough dirt, but that would be it!

Still, Shoichi felt for their little one when Mini hung his head and returned to their side. He knelt down to be at the robot's eye level. "Don't feel bad, Mini. You see, this thing might look a bit like you, but it's nothing more than the refrigerator or the TV. It can fulfill a few functions, but it can't think for itself and answer you. Do you understand?" Comfortingly he stroked the robot's head.

Even while he comforted Mini Mosca, Shoichi felt like he needed some comfort himself. Mimi's plan looked all but foolproof. If she won like that, they would lose. It wasn't like his pride wouldn't allow for that, but they depended desperately on the prize money to pay off their debt! What were they supposed to do? Shoichi looked up at Spanner. He wanted it to be a questioning look, hoping the other one might have an idea, but he couldn't keep the anxiety he felt from his gaze now.

The more he grasped how grave their situation was, the worse he felt. Already his stomach started to act up as someone with a clipboard walked along the line checking the competitor's number and the kind of props the stagehands would have to set up for each. Everything around them was proceeding normally, while Shoichi felt like their world was going to end.

* * *

Seeing Shoichi comfort their crestfallen robot, Spanner couldn't help but feel crestfallen himself, but for different reasons. He felt so lost! What could they do to turn the situation around now? Everything was going wrong!

"Aww, you look so lost, Ulysses…" Mimi mocked in a cackling voice. "You should forfeit while you can. I'm giving you the best advice, you know? If you guys go on after our performance, you'll just lose face and ruin your reputations."

The young mechanic just glared at the hussy who had once been his girlfriend for a second before he turned his attention towards Shoichi; Spanner's eyes clouding with worry and apprehension. He was hoping that Shoichi would have an idea to get out of this mess, but when he saw his lover stare back at him with the same expression, his skin becoming deathly pale and sickly, Spanner knew that they were both basically screwed.

Quickly averting his eyes away from his beloved's before he could let his fear consume him totally, the British teen's thoughts raced at a desperate speed, trying to come up with a way to overcome their situation…but he couldn't find one.

Growling in irritation at his lack of ability, Spanner held his head high then out of pure stubbornness. There was no way he was going to give this mental bint the satisfaction of knowing she won without a fight!

"You might have a point, but there's a possibility that you're not seeing," Spanner growled out in a low, menacing voice. This was his only shot, and he had to make Mimi see that she wasn't going to win. "Just because you're going ahead of us doesn't mean that your robot will win over ours. Although Mini will look considerably suspicious if he goes onstage after your car-wreck of a robot, there will be no doubt to the judges that he's vastly superior to yours in every way possible. I can assure you that although you can copy my design, you don't have the skills to add intricate mechanisms like I can, nor the _**brains**_ to come up with the programming we have for our robot like Shoichi could. The only thing you have going for you is your jugs, but even then, if you come off too strong in your little performance, even the male judges will be disgusted with your actions; not to mention the female judges will be insulted. You're body isn't _**that**_ great, so don't get too ahead of yourself. You might have been able to manipulate most of the male contestants back here, but they'd listen to anything a woman would tell them because most of them have never gotten laid in their entire lives. Either way, we can _**still**_ win this Mimi. There's nothing you can do that can make us leave before we go on."

Spanner was able to smirk confidently after his statement (which he had actually made up on the fly), and was even able to feel a bit of satisfaction when he noticed that Mimi and her roommate were the silent ones now.

"…_**We'll see then**_…" Mimi finally answered after a moment of silence, her lower jaw stiffening as she glowered at Spanner like she wanted to kill him.

As the young woman huffed and turned her attention away from them then, the competition finally began. Turning his attention towards Shoichi again, Spanner tried to give his lover a reassuring smile, but he feared that his might be falling flat. There was a chance they could win this competition, but it was all based upon luck now, and luck wasn't something they could depend on.

"We'll get through it, Shoichi," Spanner whispered out as he gave his lover a side-arm hug to make it look like they were just friends to the people around them. "We have to…"

* * *

Shoichi felt a stab of fury shoot through him as he heard that bitch call his love, Ulysses. Spanner hated that name, and he was the only one who had a right to call him that! His lost look at the other was finally answered, but Shoichi found his own worries reflected in the mechanic's gaze with no light of hope shining in them. They were screwed; totally.

He heard the irritated growl of his lover and got up. Something happened then that he didn't expect. Spanner answered that overconfident little slut. With every word he uttered his confidence seemed to grow, and this helped Shoichi considerably. He looked at his lover with growing admiration in turn. Usually, his lover was relaxed to the point of laid back, but when he really got angry he was a force to reckon with, and Mimi got a nice whiff of it right now.

The confident smirk Spanner had in store for Mimi in the end actually turned Shoichi on. His lover's display of resilience in the face of adversity helped calm him down again. Mimi's fury made Shoichi a tiny bit happy, too.

"Yes, we will," he answered her hissed comment and pushed up his glasses with only his middle finger stretched.

It was then that Spanner's arm wrapped around his shoulders in a friendly half-hug; the biggest show of affection he dared risk with that person so close to them. It wasn't much, but the physical contact was enough to encourage Shoichi and make him feel better. No matter what happened, they still had each other. He turned his face to Spanner and smiled softly. "We will, somehow."

While the first group was entering the stage with their robot, the helper asked for their number and props. Shoichi answered him, and they got permission to sit down, since it would take a while until their number would be called.

They moved as far from Mimi and her roommate as possible. Shoichi leaned over to Spanner once they had sat down. "You were right; we will just go out and give it our best. Mini is still greater, and no one can take that away from us." Seemingly hugging himself, he surreptitiously stroked Spanner's side with the back of his fingers. "No matter what happens, we are still together, and we will find a way to get through," he whispered.

Deciding that they shouldn't dwell on their dire situation any longer, he turned his attention to the screen. The second robot was on stage now, and it was a pretty good idea. It was built with the littering in the campus park in mind. It was able to identify trash, scoop it up, and sort it into recyclables or not. Mostly, it looked like a moving dustbin with the material sensors integrated in the arms that picked up the trash.

"Actually, that is a good idea, don't you think?" Shoichi asked Spanner to keep the other one from worrying too much about their situation.

* * *

Seeing Shoichi smile back at him in turn, settled some of the nerves Spanner felt at the moment. He was still worried, of course, because so many things could still go wrong, but just knowing his lover was willing to stick by him did wonders for his confidence at the moment. Still, though, Spanner couldn't stop thinking of the possibilities that awaited them for when they went on stage, even when one of the backstage helpers came over to them and asked about their props.

After they were allowed to sit down, and after he followed Shoichi to the sitting area in front of one of the TVs (and as far away from Mimi and her roommate as possible), Shoichi leaned against him and uttered reassuring words in his ear, the back of his fingers secretly brushing against his side. Glad for his lover's comfort, Spanner sent him a thankful glance as he pressed his side into Shoichi's. That action didn't look suspicious because the chairs were set up so close together, so Spanner decided to keep his body in that position. This way, the both of them could take comfort from the constant touch.

When his lover asked him for his opinion on the second robot that was showing then, Spanner nodded his head and admitted it could be a good contender against Mini, but it still wasn't as good as their robot. After this was done, silence fell between the two men as the contestants continued to go on stage. Spanner would occasionally comment on a decent robot, or Shoichi would instead, but other than that, both boys waited anxiously for their turn.

As the time finally came for Mimi's performance, Spanner and his team got in line to go out as soon as the slut was done wooing the crowd. Because of that, they could see Mimi and her roommate from the back curtain, and saw how they went about winning the audience with their charm. Mimi seemed to have taken Spanner's word to heart, because she didn't overstep her boundaries on stage. She would just play a jolly, peppy girl, and occasionally wink at the audience or the judges, not discriminating against sex. When it came to Mini Maid, though, the robot's performance wasn't as spectacular. It didn't have any gadgets in it, except that it's back stored a vacuum bag and retractable hose. Mimi's roommate had to pull out the hose herself, and then command the robot to take the hose in hand and vacuum the stage with it after inputting the size of the room onto a control pad on the robot's front. Other than the vacuum, the girls brought on a feather duster and mop, and showed how Mini Maid cleaned in a similar fashion with the different utensils.

When Mimi and her group were done, and as they walked backstage, Mimi sent Spanner a victorious smirk.

"Good luck~!" She called out in a sickeningly sweet voice with underlying venom; mocking them.

Glaring back at the crazy woman in return, Spanner sent Shoichi a hopeful glance before he turned around and walked on stage when the announcer called their number. With their props already set on stage, Spanner went and stood in the center, while Shoichi stood beside him and Mini Mosca in front of them. Almost immediately, the crowd erupted into murmurs of confusion as they laid eyes on Mini, and even the judges' eyes narrowed as they scrutinized the robot.

"As I'm sure you boys are aware," one of the judges, a fifty year old robot expert, stated calmly as the crowd continued to talk amongst themselves, "your robot looks strikingly familiar to the one we just saw. Can you be honest and tell me the truth now? Is that robot also a cleaning robot?"

Spanner swallowed hard as both he and Shoichi answered, "Yes," at the same time.

The reaction was almost instantaneous. The whole auditorium erupted into conversation, their voices loud as they stated their confusion, and even distrust at what the competitors had in store for them. But to Spanner's surprise, one of the judges, a younger man, seemed to be on their side, and spoke into his microphone to demand silence.

"Now, I'm sure everyone is concerned about this new robot on stage," the young judge commented once the room quieted down, "but I'd have you know that I was a judge for this competition last year, and this young, blonde-haired man on the stage was the winner of that competition. I find it hard to believe that this man would ruin his reputation by copying someone else's robot after all the work he put in the last one."

"Ah, but do you know if the robot he won with last year wasn't a copy, too?" A snippy female judge chimed in with a distrusting glare. "It could have been possible that the robot he won with last year was copied from someone else's idea, and that person just never entered the competition themselves. So what's not to say that this man copied someone else's idea again, and just used the sponsor money he had for this year's competition to make it a better product than the original?"

It was here that the room was filled with chaotic speaking again as both the judges and the audience conversed amongst themselves in angry, disbelieving voices. As quite a few people glared their way, Spanner couldn't find the voice to defend himself because of how useless it seemed at that moment. Would they even try to listen to him? As the worried teen glanced Shoichi's way, hoping for some encouragement, all he saw was how distraught his lover was about the situation as well. What could they do now to turn this around?!

* * *

When they followed Mimi's and their rip-off's performance on stage, Shoichi actually gathered hope again. They could easily beat that! Even that sorting trash robot was better than this! The programmer had nothing but a disdainful look to offer the returning Mimi, and answered Spanner's hopeful glance with his own.

Only, as soon as they went out on stage, everything was so different and so awful. His worst fears came true. Everyone was so sure that the first thing they had seen had been the original, no one seemed of a mind to even give them a chance! He felt waves of distrust, and even contempt, smother him.

Shoichi reached out to a confused, beeping Mini Mosca, who was turning his head this way and that, unsure of what was going on. He patted the little robot's head, trying to be reassuring, at least, for him, while he himself felt at a total loss.

"Give me that," a well-known voice stated out of the blue, as someone took the microphone from Shoichi's hand.

Wide-eyed, Shoichi stared up at Byakuran, who had taken over the mike with a happy grin and a wink. What the heck...?

"Hell~o audience and honest judges!" The white-haired man greeted and waved happily at the confused crowd. He bedazzled them with his most brilliant trademark, closed-eyed grin. "I understand that there is a very baffling case of fraud presented to you right now. You can't believe my own surprise when I came here to get the programmer that won the first prize in the gaming competition next door to receive his award, and find him suspected of stooping so low as to copy someone else's idea for a robot," he explained his appearance to the gathered audience in entertainer-style, strolling in a relaxed fashion across the stage to the judge's table.

"Th-This is very unorthodox! You! You do not belong here on stage. Who might you be anyway?" The old judge was sputtering at the disturbance in the proceedings, and the situation on the whole.

"Me? I'm just the guy who won the gaming competition, too. More importantly, I'm the guy who happens to know that the halfway cute girl with the ponytail that went on stage before, recently got dropped by the blonde fellow over there." He pointed at Spanner. "And also, I happen to have known that little metal contraption over there for quite a while now."

"Trying to throw around suspicion because you are a friend of this team's members won't do you much good. Just because there might be unrequited love involved doesn't mean anything. As to the matter of which robot came first, we cannot very well trust your word on this either now, can we?" The old judge rambled.

At this, Byakuran grinned even wider and winked at the crowd that had turned pretty silent and were looking on in rapt attention as this story of scheming jealousy worthy of a soap opera plot unfolded before their eyes. "Oh, dear, I would never ever ask you to trust my word alone. This matter should be easily remedied. Just check the programming dates for both robots. It should be obvious from the time stamps of the programs as to which of the two came first." Supportive shouts for this idea erupted from the crowd Byakuran had easily won over, and was supported by applause.

The judges looked at each other. Holding his hand over the microphone, the eldest talked to the others. They had to agree that this was the best solution to their current conundrum. Taking his hand off the microphone again, the elder spoke up. "I want both cleaning robots to come up to this table and someone to get me a laptop and some connecting cables."

Cheers erupted from the crowd. Byakuran turned to them and bowed deeply, smiling the whole time. When he got up again, he looked over his shoulder at Shoichi, grinning pretty much in a self-satisfied manner.

The red-head actually felt the urge to run over and hug Byakuran as the relief washed through him and calmed his badly acting-up stomach. He never would have thought it, but Byakuran really came in the nick of time and saved them! In his anxiety, he almost hadn't even registered that they had actually won the gaming competition! They would get prize money for that, too. Even his half of the winnings would already be enough to pay off their debt, he was happy to realize. So no matter what happened now, they were saved already.

Looking at Spanner with new hope, they made their way over to the table as Mimi and her roommate were asked on stage with their robot, too. There was a distinctive difference between the two teams. While Shoichi and Spanner made their way over fast and confident, Mimi and her friend walked with way more reluctance. No short skirt could save that bitch now, Shoichi thought. As he walked by Byakuran, he whispered a most deeply felt, "Thank you!"

* * *

Spanner felt pity turn in his stomach when he saw how confused Mini Mosca was at the proceedings, but when Shoichi patted the robot on the head as a form of comfort, and a familiar voice appeared on stage to take away their microphone, Spanner was the one who was confused then. All the young mechanic could do was gawk in complete surprise as Byakuran showed up from out of nowhere and started talking to the audience and judges as he strutted across the stage like he owned the place. What the hell was that mad man doing here?!

The British teen was so surprised, he barely caught the fact that Byakuran explained why he had showed up in the first place. As happy as he was for his lover for winning the video game competition (and for the prize money that came with it), he couldn't bring himself to congratulate the other just yet, because he was too transfixed on Byakuran. Spanner noticed that he wasn't the only one that was uncertain about the white-haired menace's appearance, because Mini Mosca unconsciously moved in front of Shoichi as if to protect him.

The surprised mechanic's thoughts were interrupted the next second, though, when Byakuran pointed at him and explained that Mimi was his ex. Spanner rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment as the crowd gasped excitedly at this revelation. It felt like this scenario had turned into a scene from a soap opera!

When the old judge responded to Byakuran's claim, Spanner visibly blanched at being referred to as the taller man's friend. There was only one reason Byakuran was on the stage right now, and Spanner was dead certain it wasn't to help him; it was to help Shoichi. Maybe…Maybe Byakuran was trying to win Shoichi back this way?!

Uncontrollable anger consumed the British teen then as he watched the other man warily, and stepped closer to Shoichi in a possessive manner. There was no way in hell he was going to let that crazy git take his Shoichi away! But, when Spanner heard Byakuran's next words about checking the programming date stamps, and heard the massive cheering of the crowd at the idea, the young mechanic was stuck between anger, and begrudging gratitude. That had actually been a good idea…

When the judges finally agreed to go through with checking the data, Spanner knew then that he owed Byakuran, and he hated that fact with a passion. The last thing he wanted was to be indebted to the freak…

Seeing Shoichi's hopeful glance out of the corner of his eye, though, Spanner couldn't stay too angry. Sending a relieved smile his lover's way, Spanner and his team made their way up to the judges table. The blonde teen couldn't help but smirk triumphantly as Mimi and her team walked onto the stage the next moment in reluctance. Oh, this was going to be so good! But whatever happiness he felt at the thought of serving Mimi up a warm platter of defeat quickly disappeared to be replaced by worry when he overheard Shoichi whisper his thanks to Byakuran. It was Byakuran that had gotten them out of this mess, not Spanner, and Shoichi's eyes were set on the other man's and not his. He had been useless in protecting his 'family', while Byakuran had stepped up to the challenge with no problems whatsoever. The fact that the other man was better than him in every way was practically rubbed in Spanner's face at that moment, and the young mechanic absolutely hated it! Would Shoichi think that Byakuran was way more dependable than he was now?

With his body stiffening at the thought, Spanner tried to hide how distraught he was by focusing on the problem at hand. He couldn't bring himself to look at Byakuran or Shoichi, in fear he'd see admiration for the other shining in Shoichi's eyes.

* * *

Basking in the grateful smile the red-head had in store for him, Byakuran grinned in self-satisfaction as he leaned in relaxed fashion with his backside against the judge's table.

"Young man, you did quite enough here. Get your behind off the table and take a seat somewhere off stage. Way off stage!" The old judge demanded, shooing the white-haired genius off stage with his hands.

Byakuran rolled his eyes for the audience to see, grinned, and shrugged his shoulders. He left the microphone on the table and easily jumped from the stage, and sat in the first row that was reserved for friends and family members.

Since he was now sure they could prove their innocence, and he still believed in Mini's superiority, Shoichi's tension had dropped considerably, and he couldn't help but chuckle at Byakuran's antics.

When Mimi reached the judge's table, she didn't look too happy. "_Serves her right,_" Shoichi decided. One of the stage hands brought the ordered laptop and cables then. Since the girls were the first on stage, Mini Maid was the first to get plugged in. It took the experienced judges just a few minutes to check through the directories and look at the dates for the different parts of the robot's programming. They even took the precaution and checked for the usual ways to forge the time stamps.

As soon as the judges were satisfied with the data, they did the same to Mini Mosca. Their eyes went wide when they saw the considerably larger amount of programming that had gone into Mini Mosca's computer core.

"The start-up and movement algorithms would be the oldest programs in our Mini Mosca," Shoichi tried to be helpful.

Ignoring the comment, the elder pointed at the screen to show something to his colleagues. "What the heck...? Is that what I think it is?" They all looked at something on the screen neither Spanner nor Shoichi could see.

"Didn't that other one say he just won the game competition?" The female judge, who had questioned whether Spanner's first robot had been an original idea in the first place, remembered. She scrutinized Shoichi then.

Swallowing audibly, the red-head still withstood the gaze. "I-Is everything okay? The data should show that Mini Mosca has been worked on since early summer."

The judges looked at each other and nodded. They were intrigued now to see what that little robot could do. The old judge was the one to announce their findings. "As it turns out, this little robot is definitely the older version. Also, the time difference makes it way more feasible to believe that the Mini Maid is an attempt to copy the design of this Mini Mosca than the other way around." He looked pointedly at the female judge then, who huffed.

His attention turned to Mimi and her roommate then. "Young ladies, what do you have to say for yourselves?"

* * *

Spanner couldn't have been happier when the older judge shooed Byakuran off the stage. Really, the white-haired menace was overstaying his welcome. At least, that's what the young mechanic thought, but Shoichi seemed to not mind and even giggled at Byakuran's silly antics when he jumped off the stage. Spanner internally fumed at that.

Trying to keep himself composed, the distracted teen just focused on the judges as they scanned Mini Maid's data. He wasn't surprised when it didn't take them too long, and couldn't help but send a confident smirk Shoichi's way. When it was Mini Mosca's turn, the judges seemed surprised by the amount of data that awaited them, and something else that Spanner wasn't sure about. Why were they getting so excited? As he sent a confused look Shoichi's way, Spanner realized that he wasn't the only one confused.

After a little more scrutiny from the female judge, and after the older judge declared them the rightful owners of the idea and design for Mini Mosca, the crowd cheered for them as Mini was unplugged from the judge's laptop and allowed to return to them. When the older judge turned his attention to Mimi and her group, though, and asked his question, the crowd booed and scolded the girls, and Spanner was certain he heard one person yell out, 'Hussy!' much to his glee.

As for Mimi, she decided not to answer as she stiffened her jaw. Sending one reproachful glare Spanner and Shoichi's way, she turned around and marched off in silence, her roommate and her knock-off robot following behind in defeat. Since Mimi refused to answer the question, the judges deemed it was only right that she was disqualified.

Sending a relieved and triumphant smile his lover's way, Spanner knew that they were a shoo-in for the win now. When the judges eagerly asked them to perform, the young mechanic and Shoichi pulled out all the stops as the crowd 'oohed' and 'awed' at Mini Mosca's amazing abilities. They showed how, with the simplest verbal directions, Mini Mosca could take things such as popcorn bags, heat them up, and deliver them for you. Then they showed off some of his cleaning capabilities. As Shoichi poured some dirt on the stage, Mini automatically detected it, and moved over the dirt with the vacuum nozzles on his feet. The little robot even went over to the judge's desk without any directions, and showed off his extendable feather duster by dusting off the desk. Then, for their grand finale, Spanner and Shoichi set a safe fire within a barrel on the stage, and had Mini blow it out with his built-in fire extinguisher. After the fire was put out, the little robot then showed off his cute factor by hugging both of his parents' legs to the cooing of the crowd.

When their performance was done, and as they moved backstage then to the crowd's cheering, Spanner couldn't stop himself from bringing Shoichi into a side-arm hug again as his free hand tousled the other's hair affectionately.

"We did it, Shoichi!" Spanner cheered triumphantly as he stared happily into his lover's eyes. "We have this win in the bag! And with the prize money from your video game competition, we'll have more than enough money to pay off that bill!"

* * *

Shoichi couldn't help but feel a deep satisfaction when Mimi and her roommate were disqualified. He also felt gratitude towards Byakuran for stepping up and helping them even after what had happened between them.

Mini Mosca got to perform then, and he did great. Making them popcorn had the jury in a favorable mood already, but when he squirted the molten butter over it, even the female judge was all smiles. His independent show of dusting the judges table had them raise their eyebrows and scribble on their notepads as well. Shoichi noted the dreamy look on the female judge's face as Mini hugged his and Spanner's legs in the end, and he was just sure they had won the judges over. The cheering of the crowd was a special bonus after they had been booed in the beginning.

Shoichi was in high spirits as they returned to the backstage area. Soon he had Spanner's arm around him, and giggled as his hair was ruffled. "Haha, stop it!" As he tried to move his head away from the gesture that made his unruly hair look even wilder, he held his glasses.

Spanner caught his gaze then, and the red-head just smiled back, relieved and happy himself. "Yeah, I think so, too. And yes, I'm incredibly relieved about that. Everything worked out in the end."

Mini piped up between them, reminding them that he had a hand in the win, too. The programmer laughed and patted the little one's head. "You've done very well, Mini! We're very proud of you." A series of happy beeps sounded, and a question appeared on the screen. "We have to wait for the two last teams to perform, and then the judges will take their time to decide."

Shoichi's eyes widened as he turned to Spanner. "Oh! That reminds me of Byakuran. He was supposed to get me for the award! I...guess I'll have to go. The judges will need at least half an hour, so it should be done by then..." Uncertain, he looked at Spanner then. It would be ungrateful not to go, wouldn't it?

* * *

Seeing Shoichi smile back at him and giggle made Spanner want to just push his love up against the nearest surface and kiss him like crazy. It probably didn't help that he was feeling super possessive because of Byakuran, too, but Spanner tried to keep himself in check. They really didn't need to cause such a scene in public.

When Mini beeped and reminded him that he had participated in the contest as well, Spanner smiled warmly down at the little robot as Shoichi bent to pat his head and congratulate him on an amazing performance.

"Yeah, we couldn't be prouder, Mini," Spanner commented after Shoichi as he stared down at his little creation with pride. Mini Mosca seemed to be happy with the attention, but he was also questionable as he asked about when they'd know the results.

After Shoichi answered Mini's questions, the young programmer seemed to realize a very important issue. In the next minute, he was going off about Byakuran and the video game award ceremony. Spanner visibly flinched when the name left Shoichi's lips, but he still tried his best to keep himself composed. When his lover's beautiful emerald orbs looked at him in uncertainty, silently asking him if he could leave to attend the ceremony, the British teen buckled.

"…Fine…" Spanner whispered out begrudgingly as he averted his eyes away from Shoichi's. "It would be rude to not attend when you're able to. But…I just don't like the idea that Byakuran is going to be alone with you…"

Gathering himself, the taller teen turned his attention back to Shoichi, his baby blue's swimming with fear.

"I trust you Shoichi…I really do…but…I fear he'll try to convince you to be with him when I'm not there," Spanner whispered out in worry as he tried not to grab onto Shoichi and just hold him. "Byakuran can be very persuasive and cunning. I just don't want him to do something to you when you're alone…"

And, just as he said this, the white-haired menace himself walked backstage from the visitor area with that creepy, closed-eyed grin of his.

"Sho-chan~!" Byakuran called out as he walked over to them, waving one of his hands in the air while the other rested in his jean's pocket. Spanner could feel his stomach plummet and bile start to rise in his throat. Either way he looked at it, Byakuran just screamed, 'molester' in his head. Maybe he should take back what he said and forbid Shoichi to go…

* * *

Even though Spanner agreed that he should leave for the ceremony, Shoichi could see he was unhappy with this decision. He knew this wasn't too easy on the other, but why didn't he trust him? But it wasn't that Spanner didn't trust him, he just didn't trust Byakuran. Well, he couldn't dispute that feeling too easily now, could he? Seeing the very real fear in the other's eyes actually made him feel bad he had even asked. Shoichi started to wonder whether he should ask Spanner to come along, but what if the judges decided really fast, and they won, but none of them were there to receive their award?

Shoichi looked deeply into Spanner's eyes, and was about to answer when he heard that happy sing-song voice that could only belong to one man. Sighing softly, he turned around and smiled at the white-haired genius. "Bya-kun! Sorry to have kept you waiting. I hope we don't cause trouble for the gaming competition! We are really, really grateful for your help. That Mimi had the judges and audience wrapped around her little finger. Nothing we could have said would have made a difference, I fear. So, really, thanks for your help. I appreciate it." The red-head knew only too well how Spanner wouldn't get the words past his lips, so he thanked the other man as best he knew how; even bowing his head.

"Nah! Sho-cha~n, you don't need to bow," Byakuran reached out, lifting Shoichi's chin with a gentle finger. "But I _**do**_ have an idea or two on how you might be able to thank me..." He grinned happily, his eyes sparkling with mischief or lust, which might be one and the same to him.

At this, Shoichi's head snapped back from the touch and his face turned very serious. "Don't, Byakuran. I am grateful for your help, and for what it's worth, I still enjoy working with you, but don't get any ideas. Whatever might have been, you destroyed it yourself. I moved on, and I'll never even look back. There is nothing you could say or do to change my mind."

Even though he was nervous saying this, Shoichi's voice was firm, and his eyes managed to stand up to Byakuran's interested gaze. There was only the slightest of trembling in his hand when he lifted it to straighten his glasses.

* * *

Hearing that pet name leave Shoichi's lips was like a slap in the face to Spanner. How on earth could Shoichi still even refer to that bastard in a friendly manner? It was here that the young mechanic began to actually worry if his lover still felt something for Byakuran. As the programmer humbly bowed to the white-haired demon, the blonde teen's fears skyrocketed when he noticed the other man lift Shoichi's chin and give him a suggestive response. He _**knew**_ it! Byakuran wasn't just helping them for the hell of it; he wanted to get Shoichi back!

As he stared at the two men, horror-struck and unable to breathe due to his fear and intense anger, Spanner was actually shocked to see Shoichi snap his head back and send Byakuran a stern look. When he heard his lover's response then, the British teen couldn't breathe for a whole other reason. Actually, if he thought about it, Spanner could feel he was a little turned on by Shoichi's display of devotion.

Feeling his confidence come back to him, and noticing that no one was really looking at them at the moment, Spanner stared pointedly into Byakuran's taken aback face and brought Shoichi into another side-armed hug with a possessive growl. Then, with his free hand, he lifted the left side of Shoichi's shirt up a bit so that the tattooed kanji could be seen. If anything would get the point across, this would!

"You will never, _**ever**_, have Shoichi, Byakuran," Spanner spat out in a low, menacing growl as a confident smirk slowly appeared on his face. "And this proves it. And, just so you know, the 'S' on my neck doesn't just stand for Spanner; if you get what I mean…"

* * *

Even though he felt like he had stood his ground, Shoichi almost sighed in relief when Spanner's arm wrapped around him. It gave him so much more security, and even strength! When he felt his shirt being lifted, though, to reveal the still new tattoo, he blushed profusely. Well, now Byakuran knew how serious he was, right?

Hearing Spanner's possessiveness and determination made Shoichi feel all hot. He even declared the meaning for his own tattoo before the other man, making the red-head feel very proud.

Byakuran's eyes lingered a little longer on the marred white skin of Shoichi's stomach than he spared for Spanner's neck, but when he was done watching and listening, he actually laughed. Looking at the British teen, he grinned. "Won't you even lend me Shoichi for a little project?" Byakuran turned to the other programmer. "Actually, my idea for you showing your gratitude was asking you to join me again for next year's competition." He winked and flashed his trademark, closed-eyed grin.

Shoichi looked at Spanner then, for the most part confused. This really wasn't the reaction he had expected, though he soon realized expecting anything when it came to Byakuran was plain silly. He was a trickster. "Ehm...I think we'll have to talk about that another time..." Shoichi answered hesitantly. He would have to talk that over with Spanner before he made any decision on the matter, although he was pretty sure he knew how his love thought about that.

"Let's just head over to the gaming competition," the red-head decided for the moment. "I'm not even sure they waited this long for us."

Byakuran grinned and waved his hand. "No worries, they had two master gamers play a demo game of the first three places. But we should head over soon now; they should be done soon."

Again Shoichi turned to Spanner, his gaze full of love, "I'll be back as fast as possible." He left with Byakuran then to pick up their first prize for his second competition.

* * *

Spanner wasn't certain if he should be glaring at Byakuran for staring at Shoichi's stomach longer than necessary, or be glad that the crazy clown was soaking up the image of Spanner's name on the other's skin. All he knew was that when Byakuran finally reacted, the young mechanic didn't know what to think. Seeing how Shoichi sent him a just as confused look then, Spanner knew he wasn't alone in this thought.

Before he could come out and tell Byakuran what he really thought of the other's proposal—which was a big, fat '_**No!**_', by the way—Shoichi answered Byakuran in a more polite, yet uncertain fashion.

Thankful that his lover was being considerate of his feelings (and maybe Shoichi actually felt unsure if he wanted to deal with Byakuran for another project), the British teen just nodded as Shoichi bid him goodbye with a loving glance.

"Please, do…" Spanner whispered quietly for only Shoichi to hear as he watched the other go, his blue eyes longing as the other disappeared from sight. He wasn't as worried now that Byakuran had seen Shoichi's tattoo, but that still didn't mean he liked the other man being around his lover when he wasn't there.

Hearing a chorus of beeps beside him, Spanner was interrupted from his thoughts as he looked down beside him to see Mini Mosca looking up at him expectantly.

"Mommy will be okay," the little robot spoke through text as he brought his hand up to pat Spanner's leg in a way of assurance.

The blonde teen just smiled warmly at his little creation as he placed his hand on Mini's head in turn.

"Yeah, he'll be alright. Thanks, Mini."

Mini Mosca just beeped happily before he tugged at his father's pants and pointed towards the sitting area. Nodding his head, Spanner followed the little robot and sat down on one of the end chairs away from most of the people. The last competing team was on stage, and soon the judges would be figuring out who their winner and runner ups would be, but all the young mechanic could think about was Shoichi. The way that the other man had stood up to Byakuran, and the way he had looked at him before he left, had sent Spanner's heart into a beating frenzy. He would be lying if he said he wasn't turned on at the moment.

As the British teen got lost in his thoughts, thinking about how all he wanted to do was go home and snuggle up to Shoichi under the covers (maybe after some foreplay if the other was willing), Mini Mosca interrupted him again with another series of beeps and a question.

"You're still thinking of Mommy, aren't you?" The mini machine asked as he placed a smiley face after his comment.

A blush soon dusted Spanner's cheeks at the insinuation, but he was glad that Shoichi hadn't been there to read that. The young mechanic was certain his lover wouldn't like the thought of their little baby speaking in such a manner.

"Ah…yeah…" Spanner eventually answered as he rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. "I can't stop thinking about…you probably already know, don't you."

His last words were more of a statement than anything else, but Spanner had been correct in his assumption.

"Hormone levels indicate that Daddy is rather hor—"

The rest of Mini Mosca's sentence was cut off as Spanner practically slammed his hand over the display screen like it was the little robot's mouth.

"I don't want to see that word coming out of your mouth again, young man…" Spanner scolded, but only lightly. "Your Mommy would have had a fit if he saw that…"

Mini Mosca just nodded his head in understanding and answered with a, "Order accepted. I will refrain from saying that word around Mommy."

There was a short moment of silence as Spanner nodded his head in satisfaction at his robot's answer before Mini Mosca brought up the question that had been bothering his mechanical brain.

"Does that mean that Daddy and Mommy are going to be spending time together once we get home?"

Spanner's blush reappeared as scandalous images sprouted forth in his mind from the question Mini had brought up, but he didn't hesitate in telling the other what he thought would happen.

"It's likely," the British teen admitted as the blush refrained from leaving his face. "It's up to Shoichi though, since he's the one that's going to be in more pain then I would. I only have to worry about my tattoo from rubbing up against something."

Speaking of his tattoo, Spanner had hardly noticed it after everything that had happened that afternoon, but now he was beginning to realize it still stung a bit. It was probably from the fact he kept moving his head.

Noticing the silence between them now, the distracted teen glanced down at Mini to realize the robot's body was slumped over as if in sadness. Baby blue eyes alit in confusion as he stared at the slumped form of his creation before he remembered Mini's last question. All of a sudden, realization hit Spanner like a ten-ton brick. With everything that happened between him and Shoichi the past couple of weeks, they had hardly spent time around Mini Mosca!

Feeling guilt well up inside him, Spanner quickly racked his brain for an idea. When it finally came to him, he couldn't stop a smile from lighting up his face as he patted Mini Mosca on the head.

"Hey, don't be sad, Mini," Spanner started, his voice light and excited. "How about this? If we win the competition, we can use some of the prize money to make a big feast! We can even buy that high premium oil you've wanted for a while. I bet Shoichi would love it even more if we're the ones who cook for him, too. That way, if your Mommy doesn't want to spend special time with me, we'll still be able to bond over a meal I was able to cook—with your help of course."

Mini Mosca just stared at him as he processed this data before he beeped out uncertainly, "And…what if we don't win the competition? Would we still have the party?"

Spanner bit his lip as he thought over their financial situation. With only one set of prize money, it would probably all go towards their bill. Seeing as Mini seemed to figure this out himself, and began to slump over again, Spanner quickly thought up another plan.

"Well, since Shoichi won, we should still celebrate in some way," Spanner mentioned quickly before Mini could fall into some un-programmed depression. "How about we…oh wait, the tv's broken…Well, how about I still buy that premium oil for you and we can all go to the park? There, Shoichi and I can have some ice cream and you can have your oil, and we'll spend some time together there. What do you say?"

It only took a second for Mini to bring his head up again and beep happily as he brought his hands up in excitement.

"If we do that, can I shoot condiments at the birds?!"

Spanner could only gawk at his little creation, not expecting such a juvenile request. He had no idea if Mini's AI just upgraded, downgraded, or where the idea had even sprung from in the first place. He'd have to check and see if a bug got into the robot's system.

"Uh…if your Mommy doesn't see?" Spanner muttered uncertainly as Mini beeped in excitement again and started moving around in a circle of victory, his hands still in the air as his display screen commented about spending time with his parents. The young mechanic realized he really needed to spend more time with the little robot if he was going to act this way. It was obvious that his AI was continuously changing, and growing at a rate he couldn't even comprehend. If he left the robot to himself, he might come back someday to find him completely different.

And with that thought, Spanner hoped that they won the robot competition or else some poor birds were going to feel the wrath of Mini Mosca's soy sauce. Although…it would be fun to test out Mini Mosca's aiming capabilities and how far he could shoot the condiments…

Shaking his head at his attitude, Spanner just decided to turn his thoughts to Shoichi again as Mini Mosca moved up beside him again and hugged his leg in gratitude. The last thing he needed to do was start shooting down innocent birds out of curiosity.

* * *

Shoichi was in luck. Because Byakuran hadn't returned yet, the jury had let the gamers play their adventure a little longer, since it fascinated the audience to watch the story unfold. So when the two of them arrived, they could actually still take their award on stage under thunderous applause from the audience.

The red-head couldn't help but blush and be proud of his work. In his enthusiasm, he even hugged Byakuran shortly, who actually behaved for once. Maybe he should try to ask Spanner about joining forces with the other man next year again, but that would have to wait for a while still. First he needed to make sure Spanner felt surer of the strength of their relationship.

After the short ceremony and a few pictures, Shoichi left Byakuran to return to the robotics competition. He was glad to see that the judges had yet to return, and went backstage. After a short glance around, he found Spanner and Mini Mosca at the end of the sitting area.

With a bright grin, he walked up to his lover, waving a check under his nose. "That's my half! This takes care of the water damage, and it's even enough to get our Mini here that oil he was begging for. I guess he really earned it with his performance, no matter what the jury decides." Shoichi stroked Mini's head when he said this, and sat down next to Spanner then.

* * *

As Spanner continued to wait for his beloved to come back, and as he waited for the judges to come back on stage, the young mechanic thought over the possibilities the rest of their evening had in store. He was a little nervous about cooking a huge feast for Shoichi when he could barely microwave something, but he wanted to do something nice for Shoichi for a change. On the other hand, though, there was a high possibility that he'd set off the sprinklers again and worsen the damage to their apartment, thus making everything they had done pointless because they would need more money. Maybe they could just cook a huge meal together as a family? Sure, it wasn't as romantic by Spanner's standards, but it was still a nice bonding moment between the three of them, and Shoichi would probably feel better knowing he could be in charge of the cooking instead of leaving it in the hands of fate…

Spanner just hung his head at that. He knew it was the better idea over all, but he just didn't like feeling that he was useless to his lover in regards to something. Maybe, if Shoichi was still willing, Spanner could make it up to him after dinner…

A heavy blush marred the British teen's cheeks as he thought over the possibilities for that as well. He knew that there would have to be a position that would benefit the both of them, or else it wouldn't be as pleasurable because of their new tattoos, and because Shoichi was still recovering from the first time. But was there such a position? Spanner was totally new to this sort of thinking, so he had no idea about different position possibilities; he just knew that they existed.

By the time Shoichi returned with a huge smile on his face, Spanner had an idea as to what they could do if Shoichi was willing to go through for an intimate evening, but he was still uncertain about it. He really liked the idea (actually, the idea turned him on to no end), but because it was different, and because their relationship was still new when it came to complete intimacy, Spanner wasn't sure Shoichi would be willing to go through with it. Exploring new territory could be quite taxing, after all.

The young mechanic was brought out of his perverted thoughts when Shoichi waved the winning check from the video game competition under his nose and started going off excitedly about paying their bills and giving Mini Mosca a well-deserved treat.

"I couldn't agree more," Spanner agreed wholeheartedly as Shoichi took a seat next to him, a warm smile on his face. "You were gone a little longer than I expected, but, thankfully, the judges haven't come out yet..."

It was here that Spanner trailed off as he stared intently at Shoichi, imagining their, hopefully, fun and romantic evening to come. The young programmer was staring back at him in uncertainty and blushing a little at the intensity in the mechanic's gaze, and that only fueled Spanner's desire even more. His lover was just too beautiful and amazing for words.

"You have no idea how hard it is not to kiss you right now," Spanner whispered out, so that no one else could hear him as his eyes shifted between Shoichi's eyes and mouth. "I've been fighting the urge all afternoon. It became especially harder to control after you talked back to Byakuran like that. Hearing you tell him about us made me so happy…"

Spanner didn't know what he was trying to gain from saying this, or why he would want to say it in the first place, considering where they were, but he couldn't help it. He wanted Shoichi; badly. He wanted to show the other how much he meant to him in that moment.

Thankfully, before the young mechanic could actually lose himself to this desire, Mini Mosca broke him out of his thoughts with a series of excited beeps. Glancing down towards the robot at his feet, Mini then pointed to the TV screen to show that the judges were coming back onstage.

Blushing a little at his previous behavior, Spanner averted his eyes away from Shoichi and focused on the screen. The judges were promptly handing out the ribbons for the third and second place winners to the cheering of the crowd. After the trash robot received the second place ribbon, it was the time they had all been waiting for. The judges were about to announce who had won first place.

* * *

Shoichi shrugged his shoulders. "We had to wait a moment for the ceremony to start. The game was a pretty big success, so the audience was applauding long and loud, and, also, a few reporters took pictures. I left Byakuran to answer any questions or do interviews."

Only after he had explained did he realize how intent, yet dreamy, Spanner looked at him. Shoichi wondered what exactly was going on in the mechanic's head, yet he was pretty sure it was something very adult just by the other's look. He couldn't help but blush as some of the possibilities popped up in his own head.

When he heard the whispered words, Shoichi's own gaze became more intent. How he also wished that they could kiss right now! "This thing will be over soon...then we can head home," he whispered back and blushed a bit more in answer to Spanner's comment about Byakuran.

Before he could say anything about it, though, Mini Mosca alerted them to the return of the jury. They made short process of the results, and awarded third and second place. Shoichi knew they had won when the trash robot made second. Wide-eyed, he looked at Spanner when their names were called.

"We did it," he whispered almost disbelieving, although he had hoped so much for this result. "We did it! We've won!" Shoichi said louder then, reaching out to Mini and Spanner at the same time.

It was his love that grabbed his hand and pulled him from his seat. With Mini Mosca beeping the Star Wars Main Theme as a sort of victory fanfare, rolling before them, they went on stage. Thunderous applause greeted them as they approached the judges. Mini changed from 'singing' to blasting the original fanfare over his speakers and raising his arms in victory. He was so cute, he made the judges smirk and even chuckle.

The old judge finally held up his hand and called for silence over the microphone. Mini abruptly stopped the music and dropped his arms. At this, the crowd fell silent, too.

"We award the first place prize for Mini Mosca, the cleaning robot. Not only are his cleaning abilities on a very high level, since he is able to make out dirt on his own and can decide for himself how best to remove it, he also microwaves food and can even extinguish a kitchen fire. This in and off itself is quite impressive. What impressed us even more, though, is the fact that all of these abilities are only the tip of the iceberg. The programming that went into this little robot is extremely complex to the point that it is able to autonomously solve problems and actually learn. This first place is well deserved, indeed." With these words the judge reached out to congratulate the two winners and shake their hands.

Shoichi blushed heavily at the compliments to his programming abilities. Mini Mosca truly was his best work yet. It was the female judge that presented them with the check for this competition. The red-head bowed deeply as he received it and handed it over to Spanner, since he still had the other check. While they thanked the judges, Mini drove up to the edge of the stage and blasted "Celebration" by Kool and the Gang at the crowd, waving his arms at them and enticing them to dance.

* * *

Spanner wasn't too surprised when he heard their names being called for first place, but hearing it still made him happier than anything else. When he heard the happiness in Shoichi's voice as well, and saw the other reaching for him, the young mechanic grabbed his lover's hand and pulled him from his seat as Mini beeped excitedly beside them. It was those beeps that turned into something that Spanner didn't expect, though; Mini actually started beeping the main theme to Star Wars like he was singing.

Smiling proudly down at the little robot, who led them out to the stage, Spanner chuckled when Mini switch things up the next instant and started playing the actual theme over his speakers as he raised his arms victoriously. That was his boy!

When the older judge asked for silence, and Mini shut off the music and lowered his hands, Spanner placed his hand affectionately on his creation's head to silently tell the robot how proud he was. Even though he was proud of his little robot, hearing someone else praise Mini filled the British teen with even more pride. But that pride wasn't only for himself, he was proud of Shoichi and Mini, too. Even if Mini had been created by them, Mini had evolved as an intelligent being, and, because of that, the three of them had accomplished so many things together. Truly, neither of them would have been on that stage if they hadn't worked together.

After shaking the judges' hands then, Spanner bowed to the woman who presented them with their check. When Shoichi handed him the check in turn, and one of the other judges handed him the first place ribbon, Mini Mosca saw fit to move to the edge of the stage and blast the song, "Celebration" as he waved his arms at the audience.

As the audience clapped in time to the music, and some danced in their seats, Mini started doing the robot, much to the crowds delight and amusement. Spanner chuckled at his robot's antics himself, but he was soon bringing Shoichi into a one-armed hug again while everyone was distracted.

"I couldn't have done any of this without you, Shoichi," Spanner spoke meaningfully as he stared into Shoichi's eyes, his voice rising a little bit in order to be heard over the music. "Mini would have been half of what he is now if I did this by myself—No, maybe even less. Thank you for helping me…"

Smiling warmly down at his lover, Spanner continued to enjoy Mini's antics onstage with his lover until the little robot tired of it. After the audience was dismissed, and after the extensive interview process by the press and robotics companies (they had even received a few offers for Mini's blueprints, which they gently declined for the moment), Spanner and his team were the last competitors left as they went backstage to gather what they had left of their props and other equipment.

As the three of them entered the locker room where Spanner had kept his tool box and cleaning kit, and Shoichi had kept his laptop, Spanner couldn't hold it in anymore. Knowing that no one was around to bother them, the blonde mechanic pushed his love up against the nearest locker (one of his hands coming out to cushion the back of Shoichi's head as he did so, of course), and kissed him fully on the lips.

Spanner heard a cry of surprise from Shoichi, but other than that, there was little to no resistance as the British teen's tongue entered the programmer's mouth and ravished it thoroughly, his tongue leaving no part unexplored. When they had to part for breath, Spanner could see that Shoichi was breathing just as heavily as he was, and that the flush to his lover's cheeks intensified the beauty of the emerald orbs that stared into his.

"I was holding that one back all afternoon…" Spanner murmured in a breathless whisper as he tried to get control of his breathing again. "Bloody hell, Shoichi...Why do you have to be so addicting?"

With a light chuckle leaving his throat at his words, Spanner placed a kiss against Shoichi's forehead as he heard Mini Mosca beep to get his attention again.

Blushing slightly that he had acted that way in front of the little robot, Spanner turned to Mini to see a question fly across the other's screen.

"Are you going to tell Mommy what we have planned?"

"Ah! Yeah," Spanner exclaimed in realization as he turned back to Shoichi with an excited look on his face. "I already discussed this with Mini Mosca as you can probably tell, but we agreed that we should hold some celebration for winning the competitions today. Mini and I were thinking that spending some time as a family would be good, since it's been awhile since we've all hung out together. So what do you say to buying some food and having us all prepare it once we get home? I promise I won't touch anything on the burner, okay?"

But before he let Shoichi answer, Spanner moved in closer, one of his hands resting suggestively on Shoichi's hip as his other stayed behind the programmer's head to massage it with his fingers.

"Also, I was thinking that we could spend some time alone afterwards," the young mechanic whispered out huskily as his baby blue eyes shone with desire. "I know I told you earlier today that it would be best if we refrained from intimacy because of the state of our bodies, but I just can't stand it anymore. I've been thinking of a way that would cause the least irritation for us if we decided to go through with it, and I was able to come up with a solution."

With that, Spanner leaned forward until his lips were practically against Shoichi's ear.

"I want you to ride me, Shoichi," Spanner whispered lustfully into his lover's ear as his body pressed into the programmer suggestively. "Since my tattoo is placed near the front of my neck, if I lay on my back, nothing would rub against it, and if you were above me, nothing would be rubbing against your stomach as well. Not to mention, if you rode me, you would be in complete control. You could set the speed we go at, and the penetration, so you can adjust for whatever soreness you still might feel."

Pulling his head back a bit, the British teen stared hopefully into his lover's eyes then. There was nothing he wanted more than for Shoichi to agree; to both accounts.

"Well? What do you say, Shoichi?" Spanner questioned softly as he caressed the side of the programmer's face with one of his hands. "It's completely up to you for both suggestions. I won't force you to choose, especially for the last one, since you are the one that it could hurt the most, but I hope you'll at least agree to celebrate in some way."

* * *

Shoichi laughed heartily as Mini actually got the crowd to clap and dance to his music. He was a real little entertainer, when he started to dance himself. His laughing only ended when he felt Spanner's arm around him and softly speak to him. The red-haired programmer smiled. "I love that little one as much as you do, and I'm happy he turned out the way he did." Mini really was like their child.

Just like with the game competition, the press wanted pictures and interviews of the winners, only this time Shoichi couldn't escape. The three of them endured, and posed for picture after picture with the 'parents' stating proudly how evolved Mini was and that he was able to do even more things than what they could show off during the competition.

When the first offers for Mini's blueprints came in, they declined for the moment, Shoichi still believing they should offer them up to the Ninth first.

They were very happy when, finally, everyone left. The red-head wanted to go home and celebrate a little, snuggle up to Spanner, and maybe...just maybe, do a little bit more. After they had gone backstage to retrieve their equipment, Shoichi suddenly found himself with his back against a locker with a surprised squeak. Momentarily, it turned into a deep moan though, when hot, demanding lips pressed against his and he was ravished passionately.

Blushing deeply and panting for breath, Shoichi licked his lips as he looked into the needy blue eyes of his lover. Was his own desire just as obvious?

"I needed that one, too," he whispered back and blushed even deeper to the compliment. He was glad to hear it, because that meant Spanner could never tire of him, right?

They were both surprised to hear their little robot pipe up then. Lost in each other, they seemed to tend to forget everything else. Shoichi blinked and looked past Spanner at Mini then.

"Planned?" He asked when he saw the robot's question.

With a warm smile and a happy sigh, Shoichi nodded, but his answer caught in his throat when Spanner touched him suggestively and the mood changed in a millisecond. His heart-rate picked up speed and heat rushed through him at hearing Spanner's special voice. Expectantly, he listened to Spanner's solution with shining eyes.

Shoichi could actually feel his member twitch at the suggestion his lover whispered into his ear in the most sexiest way he had ever experienced. A soft moan escaped him as an image popped into his head unbidden. Could Spanner feel how much the thought turned him on? The other was close enough, surely. He would be in control...The exact opposite to their first night. It sounded very, very enticing, and incredibly sexy!

When Spanner looked at him expectantly and asked for his answer, Shoichi had to swallow, as his throat was dry and no voice wanted to come at first try. "Wh-Why do you think you even need to ask?" He answered with a slightly shaky voice. "I can't think of a more fitting way to celebrate together than to cook together."

His heart beating fast, he leaned slightly forward to whisper into Spanner's ear, just like the other had done to him. "And I can't wait to ride you like the wild stallion you are..." Shoichi blushed a deep crimson at his own words, but was a tiny bit proud at the surprised, yet eagerly lustful gaze he found in his lover's eyes when he looked deeply into them. He was sure this would become a special day, and night, for them to remember forever.

* * *

**Omake:**

"Hmmmm," Shoichi hummed in satisfaction as he slowly woke up to warm arms holding him and the mixture of cherries and grease filling his nostrils. He smiled as he opened his eyes to look into baby-blue one's that were watching him with a gleam of love.

"Morning," he said softly, and stretched to greet his lover with a little kiss. Before he could go through with the action, though, he couldn't help but groan. "Wow...I guess I know how a cowboy feels after a rodeo now..." Though his backside really was giving him a hard time, and he felt sore just about everywhere, Shoichi couldn't help but grin. It had definitely been worth it.

Cradling the programmer tenderly, Spanner closed the distance for the kiss his love had secretly wished for. "Are you okay? I hope you don't feel too bad..." The mechanic was a bit concerned that they might have been a tad too wild last night, but Shoichi stroked him, and snuggled even closer to allay his fears.

"I'm just a bit sore. I guess I'll skip training once more. I think last night was exercise enough," the red-head chuckled softly and rubbed his nose playfully against the good side of Spanner's neck.

Before they could do anything else, the two of them looked at each other in surprise when there was a knock on the door then.

"Y-yes?" Shoichi had to turn around a bit to see Mini Mosca come into the room.

The little robot was carrying a tray with steaming cup noodles, cold cans of coffee, a package of cookies, and a single, long-stemmed, red rose. This seemed to be Mini's idea of a romantic breakfast in bed, Shoichi realized. The little robot had done as good as he could with what he could do by himself and frome where he could reach with his short height.

"I hope I'm not disturbing something, but I could tell you were finally awake," was to be read on Mini's screen followed by a smiley icon.

Shoichi blushed softly at the insinuation. "Ehm, no, you're not. You're right, we just woke up. And...and I see you brought us some breakfast. That's so nice and thoughtful of you! Thank you, Mini."

While the red-head tried to get into a sitting position without swearing like a sailor, Spanner took the offered tray. The mechanic was extremely proud of their little creation. Shoichi was right, it was very thoughtful. Maybe he should fulfill Mini's request from yesterday. His lover surely was exhausted and would sleep some more later, so maybe then he could take Mini to the park and conduct a little experiment involving some hapless birds and different condiments. There was a grin spreading across Spanner's face at the thought.

Shoichi was about to ask what his lover's smile was about until Mini beeped in a way that was very reminiscent of innocent whistling, while he was fiddling with his fingers. They had never before seen the little robot act in this way. The programmer wondered whether Mini had done something bad, and was unsure on how to tell them.

"Is something wrong, Mini? Did something happen?" The programmer tried to sound compassionate as he looked at the little robot in concern. "You can talk to us. You know you can tell us anything, right?"

The little robot looked from one parent to the other. "Mommy? Daddy? Since you are already practicing anyway, I want a little brother! Or maybe a little sister, if you can't affect that. I think I don't mind."

Spanner, who had just taken a swig of the iced coffee was spraying it all over the covers in his shock the next second, while Shoichi blushed a deep red that almost blended with the color of his hair, and tried to hide under the now wet covers.

How were they supposed to answer that?!


End file.
